A New Beginning
by AboveTheRoses
Summary: No longer teens, the foot in hiding, and splinter dead, The boys have all been dealing with the stress in their own ways, mostly by ignoring each other. But when Leo's calls home stop all together Raph goes out to find him. On the way he finds another turtle just like them, and a human girl he can't help but notice. Will the new additions help bring the family back together?
1. Chapter 1

No longer teenagers, the brothers lives had become rather complicated in the last few years. Splinters health had slowly deteriorated until finally their father passed away. The Foot was MIA for now. And the brothers, well, they all had their own way of dealing with the stress. Leo was down south, training in the swamps, Donnie locked himself away in his lab doing who knew what for weeks on end, between his IT jobs over the phone. Mikey lived with Casey and April for a while until April had her baby. Now Mikey and Shadow spent all their time on the sofa in the living room playing games. Mikey didn't leave much anymore. Raph was the only one that went out into the city it seemed. Tired of being locked away in the abandoned subway station they called home, Raphael would leave at all hours of the night and train at home during the day.

Despite the foot not being around Raph would keep a constant vigil on the city. He always wanted to be prepared, besides, he was able to catch a few small thugs and robbers and stop them. It made him feel at least a little useful.

The terrapin scaled down the side of a building's fire escape, stopping on the tenth floor and gently knocking on the window. It took a moment before a familiar face pulled the curtain back. Pale face and long dark hair hung next to his bright eyes. A grin lit up Casey's face as he opened the window.

"Raph! What… What are you doing here?" Casey asked as the other nimbly climbed into his friend's living room.

He shrugged. "I was passing by, thought I'd stop in, say hi, see how things are going since you don't really stop in anymore."

Casey sighed. "I know man. I'm sorry but with April and C.J…."

"How is the little guy?" Raph interrupted.

"Asleep. It's midnight dude, he's three. He doesn't stay up this late." Casey frowned as he walked over to his refrigerator and grabbed a beer. He offered one to Raph but the red branded one shook his head.

"Am I ever going to get to meet your son?" Raph snorted. "April hasn't shown her face since Leo left, she was barely showing then. I only get to see her if I watch the morning news… I miss you guys."

Casey stopped, nearly choking on his drink. "You what?" he sputtered wiping a drop from his chin.

Raphael frowned. "Whatever. If you're too busy for us anymore, then good riddance. We don't need you." He went back to the window, pulling his trench coat back on as he climbed back out onto the fire escape.

"Ah come on man! I didn't mean it like that!" Casey called as he ran after him, but it was too late, he was gone. "Raph! RAPH!" He yelled out the open window before slamming it shut and cursing as he leaned against the wall.

Raphael made his way home. Slamming the door, he swore and fell into the couch. Folding his muscled arms across his scarred chest, he glanced over at his younger brother who was sitting on the other end. A headset was covering his ears, a half eaten pizza took the seat between them, and an assortment of controllers and games were scattered between the cords on the floors.

"Get back here you little twerp!" Mikey shouted as he smashed buttons on his controller and bounced around in the seat. His weapons were discarded to the floor, not touched in some time. Shadow was sitting on the floor, the young girl in cloths she probably hadn't changed in a few days, hair a mess, and otherwise a spitting image or Mikey, headset and controller and all. Raphael's eyes jerked up when he heard another door open and he was surprised to see Donatello come out of the confines of his room. A headset was on his head as well.

"I'm sorry that you lost your files sir, give me one moment and I'll see if I can retrieve the lost data." He didn't make eye contact as he walked over, grabbed a few slices of pizza and then retreated back into his room. It'd be another few days before he'd come out. Pizza was always a good lure to see them all in the same room.

The four brothers hadn't spoken much since Splinter died. They all blamed each other for different things and bickered and fought.

Rolling his eyes Raph snagged a slice of pizza before getting to his feet and wondering down to their training room. He pulled his sai from his belt and flicked them into the ground. The weapons wobbled a bit but stood still in the wooden slats, there were plenty of other little holes around them. It wasn't the first time he had done that. In the room there were weights, a bench, a heavy bag, anything one could want to train. It was where Raph spent most of his time.

He spent hours in there, beating away at himself and the equipment in there until his knuckles were bleeding. Muscles were screaming with every movement, he could barely stand as he kicked the heavy bag again. Panting, his punches slowed and slowed until he had to grab hold of the bag to support himself.

"You try too hard."

The voice sent an instant burst of energy through him and he whirled around and grabbed the female by the neck. Fist ready to strike, he relaxed and let her go, groaning. "What do you want Mona?" A Long time ago they had been something close to friends, but when Raph turned down her advances she grew bitter towards him and found herself someone else. Leo.

"Have you spoken to your brother lately?"

Raphael found a bottle of water and took a drink. "You'll have to be more specific. I have three of them."

"Damn it Raph, Leo. Have you spoken to Leo?" The woman that had been turned into a mutated lizard out her hands on her hips, her tail twitching behind her.

"No I haven't spoken to that one. Or any of the others actually." He slid to a seat against the wall, still trying to catch his breath. He waved a hand at her trying to get her to leave him alone.

The woman stomped her two toed foot. "Raphael!" She shouted. "Leo hasn't called me in three weeks!" Her anger dissipated, the worry starting to show. "He called me every few days. Then nothing. I'm really worried. I think something happened to him."

"Your point?" Raph looked up at her, sideways, before looking away again.

"He's your brother! Go…. Go do something! Make sure he's okay!"

Raph pushed himself to his feet and crossed the room to her. Glaring down at her a moment he moved and plucked his weapons from the floor. "Do it yourself. He's _your_ fiancé."

"I can't!" She ran her hands though her hair. "I've almost completed my work. I can't leave it now… I've almost found a cure for us."

Raphael froze. "You mean a cure for you." He snapped. "You go back to being human. We go back to what? Being someone's pet?" He punched the wall. "I don't think so. Keep your damn cure, I like being a freak." He turned and stormed out, a frown on his face.

Mona made a move to follow him but stopped herself. "Will you go look for Leo?" She called down the call.

"Maybe." He said just before he slammed his bedroom door shut. The terrapin set his weapons on the stand beside his hammock. After wrenching off his mask he slapped it down on the night stand and looked into the mirror. Starring back at him was one hazelnut colored eye and the black eye patch that concealed the ugly hole where his other eye used to be. A scar stretched up across his face and eye, like someone had taken a knife from his cheek to his forehead. An ugly memory of a long ago fight with the foot. He hung his head and flicked the light off before turning and climbing into his hammock.

With a foot dangling over the edge he stared up at the ceiling, gently rocking himself as he used a toe to push off the wall. He closed his eye and took a few deep breaths rubbing his rough hands over his face. "Damn it Leo…" He mumbled. "What the hell are you doing out there?" He closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep. But rest didn't come easy to the turtle of forest green. He tossed and turned in his bed until finally he just sat up, exhausted, but unable to lay there any longer. Swearing he rolled off his hanging bed and grabbed his bandana, tying it around his face. He shoved his Sai in his belt and stormed out into the living room.

It was early, the digital clock on the wall flashed four am but the big TV in the living room was still on, some game playing on the screen. Walking up behind the couch, Raphael stared down at Michelangelo's sleeping form. On the floor sat Shadow, playing the game. "You should be in bed Babyface." Raph smirked down at the girl.

It was hard to think that the girl was almost 10. When Mikey moved out of her parent's house she came with him, pretty much living here with him. They were attached at the hip. Raph couldn't recall the girl ever going to an actual school or hanging out with humans. Just them.

"But I'm almost done with this level!" She protested.

"Bed. Now." He said more sternly.

The girl frowned and clicked off the TV. Dragging her feet back to Mikey's room, Raph waited until he heard the door shut before he reached down and shook his younger brother awake.

Mikey flailed out, his hands smacking at the air as he sat up. "Foot ninjas!" He mumbled as he swatted at Raphael, still half dreaming.

"Wake up idiot." Raph smacked him in the head.

He rubbed his skull and sat up straight looking up at his brother. "What do you want? I just got to sleep." He frowned. The youngest turtle hadn't been his normal happy self since Splinter died. It made things a lot less chipper at home.

"I'm going to find Leo. He might be in trouble."

"What?" Mikey rubbed at his eyes, a little more awake now with that comment.

Raph rolled his eyes. "I'm leaving. I'm going to find Leo." With that he turned and left. He found his motorcycle in the tunnel near the entrance of their home, his custom made helmet and gear draped across it. After pulling on his gear Raph mounted the bike and the machine purred to life before he spun the back tire and sped down the tunnel. Water sprayed up behind him as the tires slid over the trails dripping down from the storm drains.

"I better not be coming all this way for nothing Leo… Or else I'm going to kick your ass." Raph muttered under his breath as the bike skidded out onto the gravel of an alley way and then he turned onto a street in the dark morning and sped towards the edge of the city.


	2. Chapter 2

Raphael drove for hours until he was across the Maryland boarder. By then he needed more gas and had to stop. He picked a small station on a secluded side road. There was no one there but an old man working in the garage attached to the station.

The mutant was exhausted. He wanted to take his helmet off, to sleep, but it was noon. There were no sewers here. Nowhere to hide. Raph swore as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a fist full of cash. He let it on top of the pump and sped off, the old man, yelling at him in the dust cloud he left behind.

The turtle rode for another few long hours and crossed another couple of state lines. It was night time finally and Raph could loosen up his gear, let some air in and cool himself off. He was skirting Atlanta, a city, something he was used to. Pulling into an alley Raph kicked the bike into park and climbed off so he could stretch. Thick arms reached overhead as he stretched and tried to unkink his stiff muscles. Riding that long, trying to look normal and avoiding people…. It was never good on a body.

His eyes twitched when he heard something shuffle behind him in the darkness. Slowly he took off his Jacket and freed his weapons for access just as a black clothed human dove out of the shadow and tried to knock him down. Raph was ready though and skillfully dodged the attack, knocking him aside. But before he could turn and face the attacker, another one came at him from behind, flinging him into the wall. Bouncing off the bricks, Raph was knocked into his bike, the machine falling over with a loud clatter of metal scraping on pavement.

"What the hell?" Raph looked up as a crowd of people dressed all in black body suits surrounded him. The symbols on their chests were familiar but slightly different than the ones back home. "What are you guys? The Foot's inbred cousins?" He lashed out with a series of intricate moves but these guys were just as fast. Raphael took down a handful, but their supply of fighter's seemed endless, he was getting worn out. The gash on his arm was oozing blood, making his grip on his sai slippery and there had to be a kunai stuck in his shell; he felt something _thunk_ there earlier.

They converged on him. Raph could feel himself taking more blows than he was deflecting. But a squeal of tires and a skidding van slammed into half of the crowd. As the awkward ninja attackers were batted away by the cargo van, Raph pushed himself up off the ground. The sliding door on the van slid open and the driver, a young woman looked back. "Get in!" She shouted.

Raph didn't hesitate. He scrambled in and slammed the door shut as the woman already had the tires squealing as she peeled out of there. The turtle was panting, lying on his side as he looked up at his rescuer. There was a part of him that was curious as to why a human had stopped to help him, there were very few that weren't scared of them, that treated them like they weren't freaks. And here was a random woman that had stopped and helped him like he was any normal person.

Pushing himself up to his forearms Raphael took a moment to actually look at his heroine. She was on the small side, it looked like she could barely see over the steering wheel. She had long golden hair that was tied back in a messy bun, bright green eyes stared out over a freckled nose as she turned them out onto the dark main road of the city. She was wearing a hoodie that was way too big, and baggy jeans, almost like she was trying to hide in them. But Raph could see the bruises on her face and the home made splint on her wrist, something had happened to her and it made his stomach turn.

"Who are you?" Raph asked as he poked his head up between the front seats.

The girl smiled a bit and gave him a quick glance. "My name is Jack." She turned down a busier street for this time of night. "You are… Raphael right?"

He recoiled a bit. "How do you know my name?" He snapped.

"Easy killer… Your brother told me. Leo. I found him too, a few months ago when he was in town." She explained.

"You know where Leo is?" Raph asked her.

Jack frowned a bit. "Kind of? Maybe?" She sighed. "See, when he found me I was kind of in a fight with the same goons you were…" If she could have seen the look on Raphael's face she'd see he didn't believe her. "He got me out of there and we talked a bit. Turns out those thugs are some kind of extension of something called The Foot back where you are from. They are down here protecting a man named Geoffery Xanus, he is the head of an organization called Xanus Pharmaceuticals, they are partners with T.C.R.I. My brother used to be a researcher for Xanus, trying to find a cure for cancer, you know, something noble. He was working with something called Retromu-something..."

"Retromutagen?" Raph hated saying that word.

"Yeah that's it." She continued. "The other researchers had animals from the swamps they brought up for the trials but, Anthony didn't like the way the products were coming out. He didn't want to risk testing something on an animal if he couldn't get it right in a peatri dish. He got into a big fight with Xanus… He wanted to start over, but it would have cost Xanus millions. When my brother threatened to leave and expose the company for improper testing procedures, they killed him." She sighed. "All because my brother had people's lives in mind and not money. I knew he should have never gone to work for them."

"I'm sorry about your brother." Raph went to put a hand on her shoulder, but the girl winced and he realized he hit a bruise, he pulled it back apologetically.

"It's okay. I was never that smart. Anthony was the college grad. I was a waitress… till this whole mess and those ninja guys ripped our apartment to pieces." She glanced back past him quick. "Now this piece of crap is home."

Raph looked back in the van. He saw an old mattress and a balled up blanket against the back doors. On the far wall was an unzipped suitcase full of clothes, some dirty some clean and old photographs still in the frames. Not much else left of her life. Raph frowned. He lived in a sewer but at least it was a home. It had a working kitchen, a training room, and bedrooms enough for everyone, a living room stocked with enough TVs for the family and Don's lab had enough electronics for the entire city… He almost felt guilty for having it all.

She was still talking. "…I guess they wanted to clean up loose ends after killing Anthony, so they came to the apartment. Lucky for me, I had just been fired so I was running late."

He didn't really know what to say. "Uh… Maybe we can help you then. But first I have to find my brother. You said you might know where he is?" He wanted to help the girl. He really did, but he couldn't abandon the search for Leo.

"Right… Well, After I told him about my brother, he wanted to look into it all. Said that Xanus was moving their corporation up to your neck of the woods so… that would mean more of these Foot guys." _And more mutagen catastrophes _Raph thought. "_I_ told him if he was able to get inside one of the test animal vehicles, he might be able to sneak inside one of the buildings and get some answers. He seemed a lot more interested in that mutagen stuff than I seem to understand." She shrugged.

The pair was silent as she drove for another few minutes pulling into an abandoned lot. There were a couple of homeless people milling around but no one that looked threatening. Jack stopped the van and locked all the doors. Climbing in the back, past Raph she collapsed on the mattress and let out a ragged breath. "It's been a rough day." She grinned before she kicked him gently. "I think you can agree with me there." She reached over into a smaller bag and dug through it a bit before motioning to him. "Come 'ere."

Raph found himself hesitating.

She wrinkled her nose at him. "What? Think a little girl like me is gonna beat you up?" She laughed. Something about it seemed intoxicating as a warmth spread over Raphael's chest, the bubbly sound blocking out every other noise. "If I was going to do that' I'd have left you back in the alley. Now get over here so I can patch you up."

He scooted over, sitting before her. He watched her push up her sleeves, the action revealing the crude splint she had wrapped around her own wrist. Her small hands took his arm bringing it closer so she could dab away the blood that was clinging to his dark skin. Her pale hands were a sharp contrast to his own, her fingers traced a few scars as she cleaned away the blood and revealed them before finally getting to the fresh wound.

"Seems like you have quite a bit more scars than your brother." She didn't look up. "If I had to guess, I'd say it more than your other brother's too." Jack grabbed a roll of bandages and started to wrap it around the gash on him. She tied it tight and put what was left away in her little medical kit. She made a motion with her finger to have him turn around and once he obeyed she had to put a foot on his shell for leverage as she pulled on the kunai stuck in his shell. She pulled so hard when it finally came unstuck she smacked her head on the side of her van. Rubbing the back of her head with one hand she offered him the knife with the other.

"You alright?" Raph asked, his hand catching hers slightly as he took the knife.

She nodded and smiled. "I'll be fine. Nothing worse than what I've been handed before."

The expert martial artist let it go and scooted back to lean against the opposing wall. "So why are you doing all of this? Helping me and my brother I mean."

Jack shrugged. "Well, I'm not scared of you. If that's what you really mean." She smiled and Raph thought he caught a sparkle in her eye, something in the way she smiled at him, something… genuine about her. "I just think that, maybe by helping you guys, I can make up for the things I couldn't do before. I never did much with my life and then when it really mattered I let the one person I had down and now he's gone. So maybe if I help you guys stop Xanus from doing whatever it is he's doing, I can make up for that." She offered up a small smile.

Raph wasn't sure what to say. He knew what it was like to try and make up for a mistake but he couldn't imagine this woman having done something she was trying to right. It was a noble effort. Raph had to commend the girl for trying to get involved with a company that not only killed her brother, but that was involved with the mutagen that was responsible for transforming not only him and his brothers but numerous others as well.

A yawn escaped the girl and she pulled off her sweat shirt. The tank top she wore showed off more bruises, cuts and scrapes on her arms and shoulders, she had been through the ringer. "In the morning I can take you down to the area I sent Leo, where the Xanus research facility gets test animals. I'm not sure what else I can do, but maybe we can find your brother."

"That sounds like a good plan." Part of him was itching to move now, while it was still dark but he didn't know the south. Once they were outside of the city, he'd be out of his element. Raph was more at home in the concrete jungle than in the real one. Besides, Jack was the only one who knew exactly where to go so he'd have to wait for her. "You look tired. Get some sleep."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "You can sleep too ya know. I know it's not the Ritz but, the doors are locked and it'll keep you dry if it decides to rain." She threw the little blanket she had at him and smiled. "Goodnight Raphael." Jack laid down and curled up on her thin mattress. Balling up her sweatshirt she used it as a pillow, a few strands of pale hair fell over her eyes as she got situated.

Raphael just sat there for a while, watching the woman sleep. He ran a hand over his face, grumbling to himself as he struggled with what to do. He was here to find Leo. That was it. But after the help Jack had shown the both of them, could he just leave here there and not help her? But what could he do? Her brother was already dead, the only thing that would make him feel better in that situation would be to kill the ones responsible. He had to swallow down the anger he could feel swelling in his gut.

Letting out a breath he closed his eyes and crossed his legs, taking one of the many meditation poses Splinter tried to force him to use when he was younger. He tried to calm his mind and after a few moments he opened his eyes. Taking the blanket Jack had thrown at him, he draped it over the sleeping woman and almost smiled. "'Night Jack." He whispered before lying down and trying to force the sleep to come in the strange place.


	3. Chapter 3

"Wake up."

Raphael's eye snapped open as his hand flashed up. Circling the soft neck of the being beside him, he pinned it to the metal of the wall across the room. A snarl was already on his lips as he blinked the sleep away from his eye and got his vision to focus. When he saw the small blonde, her green eyes wide, almost scared, staring back at him, Raph yanked his hand back and scooted away.

"Shit… I…. You shouldn't wake me up like that!" He rubbed the back of his head, his features flushing as he averted his gaze. "Just throw something at me or… somethin'."

Jack was rubbing her neck, giving him a small smile as he did his best to apologize. "I'll have to remember that." She moved past him tugging on the strap of his mask as she moved past, forcing his head to jerk a bit. "Cheer up, Grumpy. No harm, no foul." She sat down in the driver's seat and started the car up heading off towards the swamps.

Raph's head followed her tug as she pulled on the bandana. He frowned until she let go and started driving. But his eyes on her made him hesitate, he couldn't even come up with some witty response. Her hair was down now, haloing her face. She had changed and gotten herself ready for the day while Raphael was still sleeping. His eyes drifted down to the black tee shirt that hugged her small form, sweeping over the curve of her chest and down the smoothness of her stomach to the belt of her pants. He had to shake his head and look away. What was he doing? He had never really found himself staring at a woman like that before. It was one thing for Leo to find a girl, hell, Raph even expected Mikey and Don to find someone if they ever left the sewer again. But him, find someone? Never…. Yet here he was staring at a girl he was, for all intense and purposes, trapped with.

He cleared he throat and straightened out his bandana, readjusting the strap for his eye patch as well. "So how long till we get to this place?" He asked.

"It'll be a few hours. We have to get past the city limits and then out into the boonies. " She informed him. "So relax." A smile crossed her face as she looked back at him. "If you can… you don't cross me as they kind of person that likes to sit still though." She shrugged.

"Got that right." He grumbled, his legs already getting cramps from sitting still too long. He wanted to stretch and train and fight something. He needed to move. He stretched out in the back, and started doing a few minor workouts, anything to just, get his muscles moving and his blood flowing. Besides it was a good distraction from the woman driving. Raph started with some push-ups, sit-ups, and stretches, but the area was so small he couldn't really do much of the routines he was used to. After a while he poked his head up into the front beside her. "Any way to hurry this trip up?" He asked.

"Aw, you don't like spending time with me?" She asked him playfully, and Raph could have sworn he caught the hit of a blush on her face. "Don't worry, it's just a little further."

Nodding, Raphael looked out the windshield. The landscape had changed from that of the concrete and cinderblocks of the city to the flat marsh lands. Off in the distance, he could see a few large buildings and some kind of fenced in area, it looked like some kind of high-tech thing Donnie would love. "What's that?" He nodded towards it.

Jack chanced a glance. "That's the research center." She frowned. "If we can't find your brother out here, we can try our luck at getting close, but… I'm not sure how well that will work." Her grip on the steering wheel tightened, her knuckles turning white as she swallowed down the fear that came with that thought.

"No." Raph put his hand on the shoulder of her seat. "I'll go, you will stay right here." He could easily see the fear in her, he wouldn't dare put her in that situation.

"What?" She slammed on the breaks. Everything in the van went flying forward, including Raph. He let out a startled shout as he was thrown up front between the seats. With the car now stopped in the middle of the lonely road. Jack slammed it into park and turned to glare at him. "So what, I'm a bit scared. Those bastards killed my brother. But you are _not_ about to leave me behind!" She flicked his forehead, cutting off his snarky response.

"Fine whatever." He wasn't so used to being at a loss for words. As he tried to unwedge himself from between the front seats, his hand slipped off the armrest of her chair and landed on her upper thigh. Eyes locking for a moment, both their faces were consumed with redness as Raph yanked his hand back. Looking away the male shoved himself back into the cargo hold of the van and shook his head to try and rid himself of the embarrassment.

Jack cleared her throat a bit and put the car in motion once more, ignoring the small blunder, he hoped. But almost as soon as the vehicle had started up again she slammed on the breaks and pulled the car to the side of the road. "Oh my god… Raphael…" She parked the car and unbuckled her seat belt, climbing out of the van before Raph even had an idea of what she had seen.

"Jack! Wait, hold on!...Shit." he scrambled out of the van and looked around. It was daylight, but there wasn't a thing around but that facility off in the distance a good fifteen miles away. He looked around for Jack and saw her climbing down the side bank of the road, heading down towards the four foot tall cat tails and weeds that were poking up out of the marshy lands. The plants almost swallowed the woman as she waded through them. There could have easily been a gator or something in the water and muck. "What the hell are you doing?" Raph finally got his feet to work through the sticky southern goo and caught up to her, a hand catching her arm. "Are you trying to get eaten by something?"

She looked up at him with one of the most serious expression he had ever seen. Then she pointed. Raph followed her direction and his heart dropped into his stomach like a lead weight. He saw a big green three fingered hand reaching up out of the water and clutching a handful of weeds.

"Leo!" Raph let Jack go as he ran to the other turtle's aid, splashing into the water, and reaching his…. Raphael froze as he reached the turtle's side. "You're not Leo." He mumbled. Apprehensively, Raphael turned the unconscious mutant onto his back to confirm what he already knew. This turtle was indeed not his missing brother. This one had paler skin than all the others, and a large starburst scar in the center of his chest marring the plastron, he looked younger, maybe a teen still. Raph ran a hand over his face and left out a frustrated grunt, not sure of what to do. "Damn it." He let out a sigh and hunched down next to the turtle to make sure he was still alive. He was breathing but barely.

"That's not Leo." Jack commented quietly.

"No… no he's not." Raph responded as he hooked his arms under the mystery turtle and hoisted him up with a grunt. "But he's coming with us. I'm taking him back to New York."

"What?" Jack asked, surprised as she followed him back up to her van. "But… why? What will that accomplish?"

"Well I can't just leave him to die here in the swamp can I?" He snapped. "And he's like me so… he should at least be around other people that won't be scared of him, wont treat him like he's a freak."

Jack opened the van door for him and helped him place the unconscious turtle inside, her shoulders were sagging though as her eyes looked up at him. "I'm not scared of you." She walked around to climb into the driver's seat. "And never did I think you were a freak."

Climbing in next to the other turtle, Raphael looked up at Jack as she started driving. "That's not…" He sighed and frowned. He never said the right thing.

"It doesn't matter. You can put him on the mattress and use the blanket to put under his head." She told him. "Do you have any idea why he is unconscious?"

Raph for once, obeyed and put the turtle on the small mattress and gave him the makeshift pillow. He was too big for it all, but at least it gave him some kind of support. To his guide's question Raph shrugged. "The scar looks new so he was probably in a fight."

The woman nodded to herself and kept on driving. "This is the area I told Leo about. So if he's still here, hopefully we can find him." She said after a while.

The red masked one didn't say anything; he just stared out the windshield, silently berating himself for his comment earlier. It clearly struck a nerve with the woman driving, but he wasn't sure how to make up for it. After a few hours of awkward silence Raph finally spoke. "Look, I didn't mean to imply that you felt that way I just… it's hard to find people that accept us for who we are. It's easier to stick together."

"I know." She said simply before looking over her shoulder. "It's just that, I'm not a fan of when people judge me for something I'm not. I know I'm not perfect, I'm clumsy, and I'm not the smartest, but I never judge others."

Raph felt a smile trying to tug its way onto his face. "I'm starting to see that." He reached over and mussed up her hair, receiving a small squeal of displeasure from her in response as she batted his hand away.

Then something thudded down on the hood of the van in a hard thud. The woman screamed as she jerked the wheel to the side too far, her heart pounding. Raph lashed out, his hand clamping down on top of hers, and turning the wheel straight as his other hand gently eased her leg up off the gas.

"Easy… easy… slow down." He whispered, his eyes flicked from her panic stricken face to the green figure that was glaring through the windshield at them. Raphael glared at his brother as he pushed the van into park. "Stay here." He let his hand linger on hers a moment until she nodded. Then he moved away and glanced in the back. The other turtle was still unconscious, motionless, except the small motions of breathing in his chest. Climbing out the side door Raphael grabbed his brother by the arm and yanked him off the front of the vehicle. "What the hell!"

Leo simply glared. "What are you doing here Raph? And why did you bring Jack?"

He could feel the anger boiling in his gut, but he had to keep himself from punching his elder brother. "The others were worried about you. I'm the only one that had the balls to come check on your ass." He shoved him a bit. "And the girl is here because she helped me find your missing pain in my ass. What the hell are you doing?"

"Working." He shoved back. "My phone broke. Tell Mona Lisa I'm fine." He turned to walk away. "I can handle this myself."

Raphael kicked his brother's shell and knocked him to the dirt. "Like hell you can!" Before Leo could right himself, Raph tackled him and they were a rolling swarm of tangled green limbs. "Do you know what the hell they are doing in there! Retromutagen?! Are you fucking kidding me! Trying to deal with that yourself!" He moved to punch him but it was of course blocked and he was tossed off easily.

"Like you'd want to do anything to help me!" Leo snapped at him, brushing dirt off of himself as he stood.

"What?!" Raphael nearly screamed in a rage. "You think I'm above helping my own brother when it comes to our family's safety?" Something crossed his face, a look of hurt perhaps? "I know I have a temper and I don't really follow rules, but do you really think I'm that shallow?" Raph shook his head and took a step back. "Mona came to me because I'd do something. _I_ am the one here when we thought you were in trouble. Not any one else…. I know I'm a royal fuck up but damn… to think I'd actually abandon you when it counts." He turned and walked back to the van. He couldn't control his fist when it lashed out and punched the door, denting it. "Shit." He slid it some and tried to press the dent out, only half successfully.

"Raph, I never said you were a screw up."

"You didn't have to Fearless." Raphael snapped. "It's written all over your face." He slid the door to the van the whole way open revealing the turtle inside. "We found another turtle. I'm taking him home." Leo's eyes widened but Raph continued. "I can't abandon someone like us. Even if he's not family… I can't let someone like the Shredder get a hold of him. Besides, I thought if there was someone in the sewer that needed training it might get the family back in shape. Ya know… get everyone off their sorry asses and out of their rooms." He glanced in the van. "He might be what we need…" He was mumbling.

Leo stepped a bit closer, something close to regret on his face. "Look, I'm sorry for… that." They argued, it happened a lot, but most of the time, especially now, there was never any apologizing. Even if it wasn't specific. "But I have to stay here. Just a little longer. I have to see if Xanus has started to move his corporation to the new facility they built in New York. If they haven't started moving the mutagen could still be here…. If they have… then it'll be on the streets back home." He frowned. "He'll be in good hands though… with you. Just don't let Mikey do too many of his weird games, and make sure Donnie isn't too technical. Explanations are good, but he gets so long winded sometimes."

Raphael was surprised he was getting his brother's approval. And even more surprised when the blue masked turtle hugged him. "It's good to see you." He said softly before he let him go. "Don't go destroying the sewer while I'm gone." He waved and then disappeared into the brush and swamp leaving Raph standing there next to the van. He stared out at the spot his brother had been for a few long moments, unmoving.

A small pale hand landed on his arm causing him to turn and look down at Jack. She had heard everything, he was sure. "What?" He said a bit more roughly than he intended.

She pulled her hand away, frowning. "Are you okay?" She asked him, her bright eyes searching his features.

"Fine." He lied. There was a knot sitting in his gut unsure about the decision his brother had made. True he had found him, Leo was okay, but Raphael didn't like leaving him there alone to face this giant corporation. Then again, his brother seemed to entrust him with this new turtle's care, despite their bickering and tempers. It was a good sign right?

Raphael climbed in past Jack and sat down across from the other turtle, checking on him for a moment before he looked at the girl. What was he going to do with her now? He couldn't really help rectify her brother's murder now if he was going home…

"So now where are we headed?" Jack's voice brought him from his thought's and he realized he was staring straight at her.

Red faced, Raph looked away and cleared his throat. "Home for now." He rubbed his face with a sigh.

The blonde nodded and climbed into the front seat with out hesitation, she didn't really have anywhere else to be or go so she didn't much care. "Where's home?" She asked as she started the van and turned it around.

"New York City. We've got a long drive."


	4. Chapter 4

Jack pulled the van into a gas station somewhere in rural North Carolina. She yawned as she climbed out of the vehicle and walked around to put the fuel in the tank. Raph realized how much easier this process was when there was a human around to help, but he felt bad when he watched her pull out her wallet. There were only a few bills in it, she used most of them to pay for the gas.

When the woman went to climb back in the driver's seat, she was surprised to find a turtle sitting in her way. "Uh, what's this?" She asked with a bit of a surprised laugh.

"You look tired; you should grab a nap or something. I know how to drive don't worry." Raph managed a smirk as she climbed into the passenger seat and strapped in.

Curling up in the seat, Jack sat sideways to face Raphael as he drove. "I've never been out of Georgia. Born and raised down there so… This is something new for me." She admitted, trying to get him to talk. The ride thus far had been long and rather quiet.

"Yeah? I haven't left the New York all that much… Just a few times. That accent of yours is going to make you stick out that's for sure though."

"'Bout likes yours down here I bet." She stuck her tongue out at him and laughed a bit when she caught a redness on his face. Glancing down she picked at the splint she had wrapped around her arm.

Raphael caught her fidgeting. "That happen in your fight?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Not exactly." But she dropped the subject, seeming like she didn't want to talk about it so he let it go for now.

"So what kind of a name is Jack?" Raphael asked, changing the subject to something maybe a little less serious. He glanced sideways at her with a half-smile as he continued to drive.

She chuckled. "Jack is what my brother always called me. It's a nickname I guess. My real name is Jacquelyn but no one has ever called me that. Not that I can remember anyway."

He actually looked at her for a moment before looking back to the road. "I like Jacquelyn." He said simply, unaware of the color tinting her features.

She looked out the window, tucking her hair behind her ear trying to ignore the heat rushing her face. "Well, you can call me that. But… just you." She smiled, still looking at the window.

Raphael felt a small swell of pride in his chest. It was nice getting some kind of special privilege, particularly when it came to her. He wasn't sure why he felt so proud but it felt nice. He glanced at her when he heard another yawn and simply shook his head. "Get some sleep."

Slowly she nodded. Leaning the seat back a bit she curled up, angled towards him she closed her eyes and managed to drift off to sleep. Driving in silence, Raphael glanced over at the woman every so often, she seemed so at ease while she slept. Even the turtle who was constantly on edge could see the stress and worry on her features while she was awake. It was nice to see her finally relax.

It was a few long hours just as dusk started to set and the van started to cross into the Pennsylvania back roads. Raphael cracked his neck as he pulled the van over alongside the road. Reaching over he brushed some hair out of Jacquelyn's face and rested his hand on her head. "Hey. Wake up." He said softly.

Her bright eyes slowly fluttered open. She sat up and rubbed at her face. "Huh? Wha… what's going on?" She asked as she looked around.

"Nothing. I just need to stretch." Raph admitted. "I just didn't want you to freak out if you woke up and I was gone." He opened the door and stepped out as the woman sat up straight and stretched to try and wake herself up. Raphael did the same outside. He rolled his shoulders and shook out his arms and legs. He heard the van shift, much more than it should have for someone Jacquelyn's size. Turning to look at the vehicle, his brow furrowed until he heard the panicked sound coming from the back, and a small scream from the front. Moving to the side door, Raph slowly pulled it open, and glanced inside.

The other turtle was awake, clutching his chest, he was scrambling back against the back doors, struggling to catch his breath. It was obvious he was in pain as he kept weight off one leg and favored one side.

"W-where am I?" He stammered. Glancing between the pair of them. "Who are you…" His eyes glanced down at his own three digited hand. "What _am_ I?"

Jacquelyn slowly slid out of her seat into the back. "Easy…" She said in that soft voice of hers, Raph swore it could have calmed down anything. "We aren't going to hurt you." She offered him up a small smile before glancing at Raph. They were the same, maybe he'd have better luck.

Raph however, wasn't really good at this. "We uh… found you." He blurted out. "You are like me… uh, a uh…" He didn't want to say mutant and freak the kid out if he was once a human but if he had been an animal like Raph hand started out, this was better wasn't it?

"Don't worry. You are safe with us." Jacquelyn jumped in and saved Raphael from himself. "Just calm down and relax before you hurt yourself." She motioned him over to the mattress. "Come on. Sit." She sat down too, but gave him some space as she tried to ease the turtle into some kind of comfort. "My name is Jack. This big guy is Raphael." She smiled over her shoulder at him before turning back to the mystery before her. "Do you have a name?"

He shook his head a little too fast. "No. I… I don't know." He looked from the girl to Raph and then back. "Why can't I remember? Did I have one to begin with? Am I a monster?" His eyes landed on Raphael.

"We are _not_ monsters." Raph tried hard to not sound angry. "We are just different." The tension in his body eased when he felt the small hand of the woman between them land on his arm.

The Turtle's dark chocolate colored eyes blinked slowly. "So… I…" He paused. "I don't feel so good." He pitched forward and fell on top of Jacquelyn. The woman let out a small cry as he landed on her.

Raph hurried to lift the other's heavy form from a top the small woman and roll him onto the mattress as Jacquelyn scooted back. "Thanks." She said, a bit embarrassed.

"No problem." He nodded before scratching his head. "Although, I think that could have gone better. I was hoping he'd at least know somethin'."

Jack shrugged and climbed back into the front. "He's talking, and he didn't try to kill us. I'd say that's a good start."

He nodded agreeing, but Raphael couldn't help but hope for more. He sighed and climbed into the van shutting the door. He was about to squeeze back into the driver's seat when the woman scooted in before he could.

"I got it." She smiled at him. "You can have a turn to relax." She buckled up and started the vehicle before pulling it back onto the road. "Just make sure I'm still heading in the right direction and all that."

Nodding Raphael sat down and peered between the two front seats, glancing back at the other turtle on occasion.

"So are you going to show me the sites once we are in the city?" She looked at him. "The Statue of Liberty, the Empire state Building, Central Park…"

Raphael blinked a few times before he could answer her. "Uh… I'm not really one for sightseeing." He admitted. "But the park's pretty nice at night. You do remember I can't go out like a human. Right?"

"I know. But I still don't want to go see those places by myself. That's no fun. I'd rather you come with me."

He felt that warmth in his chest again. Spreading out and filling him with an ease and happiness he hadn't felt in a long long time. It was a bit awkward, he wasn't really sure how he was supposed to handle it, or what he was to do with it. Should he say something about it? Or just let it go? Deciding on the latter they rode in silence for a while until they were just outside of the city and Raphael made her let him drive. She'd never find the entrance to the sewer.

Glued to the window, Jacquelyn stared out at the city as Raphael drove them. The turtle smiled and shook his head at her wide eyed wonder. It was cute. Turning off the main roads and onto some service areas they ended up at the edge of the storm drain system, Jacquelyn glanced at Raphael and quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

He drove until he couldn't drive any more, down twists and turns through the different turns in the sewer system. Then after parking he laid on the horn.

The small door to the side of the tunnel opened and a bright green head poked out. Brown eyes got wide under the bright orange bandanna. "Raph? What the hell is going on?" He stepped out scratching his head, Shadow trying her hardest to come out behind him but he shoved her back inside with ease.

Raphael rolled his eyes and looked over at the woman in the passenger's seat. "Get ready for an interrogation." He smirked and climbed out, looking at his brother. "Get over here Mike, we have a couple of guests. I need a hand."

Mikey was still looking at Jack in the front seat. "Guest's? Did you… find Leo? You've been gone a few days…"

"Yeah I found him. Stubborn ass isn't coming home yet. But I found us someone else." He pulled open the van's side door and revealed the other turtle.

"Whoa!" Rushing to the van Mikey was grinning. "Another Turtle!" He looked up at his older brother. "Where'd you find him?"

Raphael rubbed his head. "It's a long story. Help me get him inside and I'll tell both you and Don." He pulled the unconscious turtle to the door and Mikey hoisted him up onto his shoulders and started to carry him into their home. While his brother moved their new house guest Raph turned back to the van and frowned when he saw Jacquelyn getting into the driver's seat. "What are you doing?" He asked.

She jumped a bit, caught off guard by him. "Well I thought… Since you got home…." She tucked her hair behind her ear, facing him, but not looking at him. "You didn't… I should probably get out of your hair." She finally looked up at him, giving him a weak smile before she started the van up once more.

"You could always stay." He offered.

She paused before looking back at him. "But I…"

Raphael reached over and put a big hand on her arm, pulling it off of the steering wheel. His heart was pounding in his chest. He wasn't sure what he was doing, or why he was doing it. But like everything else, he was just following his instincts. "I want you to stay. Come on… It's not often I find someone that doesn't look at me like I'm a monster." He pulled his hand away, feeling a bit self-conscious for the act. "What do you say?"

Color tinted her cheeks as she looked down at his hand on her arm. Giving him a small smile she looked up from behind her pale bangs. "Alright. I'll stay, but only till you guys get tired of me. I don't want to over stay my welcome."

"Don't think that's going to happen." He muttered as he looked into the back of the van and gathered up her things, blushing slightly as he saw a few pairs of panties mixed in with her other things. Zipping the suit case closed he pulled it out and waited for Jack to join him. Once she was at his side he paused before he opened the door. "I should warn you, It's not just my brothers Mikey and Don. We have a few human friends, A news anchor named April Jones and her husband Casey. They have a daughter named Shadow. She tends to hang out her a lot so I'm sure she'll be bugging you, and if she tells her parent's, you can guarantee they will want to talk to you at some point."

Jacquelyn looked up at him. "I thought you didn't have any human friends?"

He shrugged. "Not many." After opening the door for her, Raphael followed her inside. The living room and kitchen were dark. The only light was coming from the game still running on the television. He glanced at the woman at his side, they were both frowning. Raph set her bags down next to the dining room table and walked over towards Donnie's lab. The door was cracked open already so Raph just pushed it open, Jack silently followed him into the room.

It was a buzz with electronics. Screens showed displays, of the different alleys and sewer ways that were near their home. Others were computer statistics that made no sense to wither of them, something Raphael assumed were related to his job. Across the large room was more science looking stuff. Vials and beakers full of strange looking substances lined shelves next to strange tools. There was a specially modified table in the middle of the room that the mystery turtle was lying on, he had wires and monitors hooked up to him as Donatello was bustling around. Mikey was standing there, scratching his head, clueless like usual with Shadow at his side.

Mikey looked up and froze for a moment before reaching over and smacking Donnie. Donnie frowned. "You brought home someone else?" He quirked a brow, but it was a look of disapproval.

Raph glared. "So what if I did? I wouldn't have found him if it wasn't for her." While the two of them had a glaring match, Mikey had come up to Jacquelyn's side.

"So you helped us?" He asked. "Awesome." He grinned.

Raphael smacked him in the back of the head. "Come on Mikey, we need to go talk. Jacquelyn, keep an eye on our… friend there." The brothers all left, Shadow trailing behind them. Filing into the kitchen they sat around the table and talked about what had happened down in Georgia. About Xanus and the Foot, the corporation moving, Leo and his decision to stay for now, the new turtle and training him, and about Jack and her brother.

While the boys all talked, Jack walked over to the side of the table to check on the other mutant. He was relaxed into the table, his breathing shallow. Donatello had monitors connected to him monitoring his breathing and his heart rate. He had yet to treat the wound on his chest or the other injuries on him. His brow was creased, it looked like he was in pain, his eyes flicking back and forth beneath his eye lids. Jacquelyn went over to a sink against the wall and found a rag. After getting it wet and ringing it out she brought it over and gently dabbed the cool cloth against the turtle's forehead and face trying to calm him and ease the pain away.

"Poor soul… You seemed so scared in the van." She mumbled softly to herself as she tried to do something helpful. Her eyes flicked over to the door where she could hear the brothers talking. She couldn't make out what they were saying but she knew it was important so she wouldn't interrupt.

A hand flew up and clamped down on Jacquelyn's arm, wrenching it away painfully, the woman screamed. The turtle on the table bolted upright, the wires clinging to him tearing and popping off as he backed her against the nearest wall. "What are you doing to me? Where am I? Who the hell are you?!"

But the big green hand around her neck was cutting off the air supply as he questioned her. "I-I…" Her eyes started to flutter as she struggled to pull the hand off her throat.

The door flung open, banging against the wall as Raphael burst into the room. "What the fuck is going on in here?!" He shouted.


	5. Chapter 5

When Raphael burst through the door the turtle pinning Jacquelyn to the wall released her and took a step away. The woman fell to the floor, coughing and rubbing her throat as she tried to breathe again. Raphael crossed the room and glared down at the smaller turtle. "You don't ever touch her." He breathed, barely loud enough for anyone but him to hear. "It's because of her that you are alive. Now, sit your ass down." He snapped as he pointed to the table.

As the turtle obeyed, Raphael hunched down in front of Jack and tilted her chin up gently. He frowned at the bruises he saw forming on her fair skin. "You gonna be okay?" He asked softly.

"It's not that bad." She coughed, and tried to smile, but Raphael could see it hurt, and he just hoped there was no long term damage done to her neck. Gently taking her arms he helped her to her feet before turning and facing the turtle and his brothers.

"You. You will sit here and let him fix your injuries. Do you understand?" He bit of the words as he glared at the turtle sitting on the table.

The one on the table nodded, a hint of fear in his eyes.

Raphael swallowed down a frustrated growl before he walked over to the table and leaned on it beside him. "You aren't doing a good job with first impressions." He pointed around the room. "Mikey. Don. Shadow. Jack. Raph. I'm in charge of you so try not to piss me off." He turned back towards Jack but glanced towards the purple wearing one. "Let me know when he's patched up. I'll… come back when I'm not ready to deck him."

"Good call." Donnie snorted.

Raphael escorted Jacquelyn out of the lab and towards the kitchen. He flicked on the lights and gestured towards the table for her to sit. With his back to her, he frowned, angry at himself for leaving her alone with their unknown guest. "I'm sorry." He mumbled as he reached around and tried to find the pot to make some tea. "I shouldn't have left you alone in there."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault. You didn't know he was going to wake up and do that."

"I should have." He dropped a cup and it shattered on the counter and floor. Raphael swore.

Getting to her feet, Jacquelyn knelt down and started to pick up the pieces of broken glass. "You put a lot of pressure on yourself."

He shrugged as he helped pick up the broken cup. When a piece sliced his finger, he just sighed and ignored it. Rolling her eyes, Jacquelyn grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. After discarding all the broken glass they had collected, she put his hand under the faucet and ran some warm water over the fresh cut. Delicate pale fingers hand to pull a sliver of glass from the cut before she smiled up at him.

"Another scar for you." She grabbed a dish towel and wrapped it around his finger, holding pressure on it.

"Thanks." He mumbled, still mad at himself, she was still able to do something for him when he couldn't do anything for her.

"So what do you plan on doing with him?" Jacquelyn asked about the other turtle. "I mean… What exactly is going to happen with him now I guess…"

Raphael rubbed the back of his head and glanced around. "Well I was planning on training him like my father trained us. We used to train for hours a day… it was our life. Our father lived and breathed the ancient ways."

"You miss him." Jack smiled softly, she could see it, and hear it clear as day in the way he spoke.

"We all do. When Master Splinter died, we all just… we all kinda lost it. I mean, he wasn't killed, he was just old. We fell apart instead of coming together. As a family we have been through so much shi-" He stopped himself. "Stuff. I just… I really think that if we have someone to train, someone that we can all focus on and pour our time into… We might start acting like a family again." He pulled her hand away and looked at the cut. It had stopped bleeding so He set the towel aside and pulled his hands away from the woman awkwardly. "We need to set up a room for him though…" He moved around to the other side of the table and picked up Jack's thing's. Motioning with his head he got her to follow him.

He led her towards the other side of what had become their home. Passing a few doors he commented. "That's Mikey's room. Leo's room. That's the meditation room. The training room. Laundry and storage is at the end of the hall. Bathroom is to the left. And this is my room." He pushed the door open with his foot and led the way inside.

Jacquelyn took a look around as she was given a brief tour of the place. But once inside Raph's room she looked around the most. It wasn't really decorated. Just a simple night stand under a mirror on a wall, a hammock hanging against the opposing wall. She could see a few patched holes here and there from his undoubted temper flares. A few dumb bells sat in the corner at the bottom of a coat rack that held a trench coat and a hat. She was surprised to see the few articles of clothing. But it had a nice feel to the room, it definitely suited him. Even though it was _his_ room, he still didn't want to show too much of himself in it.

"You can stay in here."

"W-what?" She stuttered, caught off guard by his comments as he set her bags down beside his weights.

His features flushed some as he took his weapons off and set them on his night stand. "I'm not going to make you stay on the couch while we sort out people's sleeping arrangements." _Not to mention Mikey is up playing those stupid games at all hours._ He thought. "So you can stay in here, I'll sleep out there with the new kid till we get his room added and… whatever."

Jack shook her head, blonde hair swishing about her face. "No I can't just take your room from you." Her features were red as she looked up at the Turtle that almost towered over her.

"You are not sleeping on the couch." Raph said with a note of finality. "I'm not having that." He folded his arms across his chest waiting for her to just concede and agree with him.

Instead Jacquelyn put her hands on her hips. "Well, I'm not going to take your room away from you." She couldn't help the smile that was trying to come onto her playfully stern face.

After they stared at each other for a few long moments Raph snorted, unsure of what to do.

"Look, I have that mattress in my van. If you don't want me sleeping in the living room I can throw my mattress in the corner of your room and just sleep there."

That mattress was a piece of crap, Raphael knew it. But if it would get this argument to end for now he'd agree. Then he could work on her actually getting a good place to sleep. "Fine." He turned towards the door. "If you want to take some of your clothes and toss them into the washer while I get your mattress, you can. We only ever use it for blankets and stuff… sometimes Shadow's clothes so there shouldn't be anything in there."

"Okay, thanks." She gave him a smile before he left.

Raphael left her alone and went back through the home towards where he had left the van. After pulling the door open and grabbing the side of the thin mattress he frowned. It was old, and the springs were poking through in some spots. It wasn't really all the good for sleeping on, or good for keeping in fact. It should have been in the trash. Raph wasn't a fan of Mattresses to begin with, hence the hammock, but this, this was just terrible. Still though, he carried it inside and back towards his room.

He froze when he pushed the door open though. Kneeling on the floor in front of her bags, Jack was sitting there with her back to him, topless. She had taken off her dirty shirt to add to the small pile of things that needed to be washed.

Before she noticed he was standing there, Raphael caught a glimpse of the scar across her shoulder and the fresh bruises, as well as the small butterfly tattoo on her lower hip.

The mattress slipped from his hands and thunked to the floor as his face burned a bright red. Jack glanced over her shoulder, wide eyed. "Crap!" She grabbed the closest article of clothing and held it up over her black bra to try and cover herself. "I… I-I didn't hear you come in." She quickly scrounged around for another shirt and pulled it on before turning around to face him.

Raph didn't look her in the face, instead he looked down at his feet. "I uh, I didn't mean to uh…. Walk in while you…." He swallowed hard. "I'm… I'm sorry."

Her face was flushed, clearly embarrassed, but she was smiling. "No harm done. I know you didn't mean it." She tucked her long hair behind her ears as she moved to help him with the mattress.

For now Raphael stayed silent and let her just help him as they positioned the mattress against the wall in the corner of the room he used to use to exercise when he couldn't sleep.

"Perfect!" She beamed up at Raph. "Now I'm going to go put the rest of this stuff in the wash."

He nodded. "I'm going to go check on our guest." He needed to, but more than that he wanted to distract himself. Not only from the image of her half naked body, but, from the marks and scars on it. He had to shake the image from his mind as he walked down the hall and headed towards the lab on the other side of their home.

Crossing the living room he wasn't surprised to find Mikey and Shadow playing games once more. He paused. "Mike, you are in charge of dinner."

"Dinner? Are you serious?" Mikey paused the game and looked back at him as he crossed behind the couch.

"Yes I'm serious. We have two new mouths to feed and I'm not sure when the last time they ate was." When he saw the unsure look on his brother's face he rolled his eyes. "You can order pizza, just make sure there is enough and that it gets done."

There was a small noise of triumph as Raph disappeared into the lab. The other turtle was lying down, until Raph came in. Sitting up the turtle looked at him, hanging his head a bit. Donatello was checking out something under a microscope, he didn't look up when his brother entered.

"You done freaking out?" Raph snorted.

The other nodded.

"Good." He leaned against a counter and looked him over. He had a few bandages around injuries and an IV in one arm. "You remember a name yet?"

This time a shake.

Raphael ran a hand over his face. He and his brothers had all been named after renaissance artists. The only other one he could really remember was Antonello. "Well, until you do, you're gonna be Antonello. Just like the rest of us, it's a renaissance artist. Something our dad was big on." He shrugged. "As soon as Donnie here gives the 'ok' you are going to start training."

"Traingin for what?" He asked.

"Survival." Raphael said simply. "And inner peace and discipline, and that kind of stuff. If you haven't noticed, we are giant frickin' turtles. We aren't exactly normal. We tend to have problems so we are always prepared."

The other turtle swallowed hard.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine kid. We won't let anything happen to ya."

There was a small knock on the door that took the attention of all three. Jack stepped in with a nervous smile. "Sorry, I hope I'm not interrupting." She gave Antonello a small wave before stepping up next to Raph. "I couldn't help but notice how our new friend here is kind of… naked."

All three boys looked at him and then down at themselves. "Uh… we don't really wear clothes if you hadn't noticed." Raph informed her.

She shook her head with a grin and reached up and tugged on his mask. "Uh, yeah you do." Her splinted hand held up a thing strip of yellow fabric. "I found this in my suit case. After making some alterations I thought it'd make him feel a bit more at home."

Raph took the new mask from her, letting his fingers brush against hers as he picked it up. He looked from the mask to the new turtle and then back. Then he tied the mask around his own belt. "You are going to earn this mask. Just like we had to."

Donnie cleared his throat. "Raph he can't do anything for at least another day. And even then, he won't be able to do _your_ work outs." He came over and checked on his guests drip. "Antonello here is dehydrated and has quite a few bumps and bruises. The sprained ankle is what will affect the training the most though."

Grunting Raph turned away. "Well that gives me a few more days to sort out a room for him."

Jacquelyn looked around at the boys and then followed Raphael out. She yawned as she met him behind the sofa in the living room. Raphael was annoyed with his little brother when he discovered there wasn't any dinner.

"Dude, it's like one in the morning, no one's going to deliver anymore." Mikey told him. "Food will have to wait till the morning."

Raph grumbled but when he heard Jack yawning he sighed and put a hand on her back gently. "Why don't you head to bed." He started to usher her back towards the bed room, removing his hand from her shoulder blades. But the contact brought with it the thoughts of the skin he had glimpsed earlier. Once she was inside his room he couldn't keep his mouth shut. "Jacquelyn, I have to know…" He gently stopped her. One hand hesitantly tugged up the back of her shirt, revealing the scars and bruises on her back for him to really look at.

The woman pulled away, pulling her shirt down. Face an extreme red, she didn't look at him as she turned to face him. "You shouldn't do that you know."

"What happened to you?" He asked her. "Really. Where did the splint come from, the scars, the bruises… "

He watched her take a deep shaky breath. "Please Raphael. Please, don't ask me that." Her eyes were closed a moment as she tried to fight back some painful memory.

Raphael reached for her hand, trying his best to be comforting, but she pulled away. He saw a tear drip down her cheek. For the first time since meeting her, it looked like she was scared of him. The sight sent a sharp pain through his chest. He couldn't rationalize the feeling. She wasn't the first person to be afraid of him, but seeing _her_ recoil hurt more than most. "Jacquelyn, come on." He took a small step towards her, his big hand slowly moving up to wipe the tear off her face.

The tension in his muscles eased when she leaned into his hand, her own small ones reaching up to grasp his. "I'm sorry, It's not a nice story." She tried to give him a smile. "It's not a very nice thing to talk about and… It tends to scare people away."

Raphael could see her shoulder's shuddering. "You can trust me. I am not going anywhere." His clumsy hand moved and brushed her hair out of her face, er, tried to unsuccessfully.

The woman half laughed as she fixed her hair herself and looked up at him, face wet. "Alright, but I warned you."


	6. Chapter 6

Raphael wasn't sure if he was really ready to hear all of this. He could already feel anger boiling in his gut, hatred for whoever hurt her, but he didn't let it show. "Talk to me Jacquelyn." He said softly.

She hung her head. "I told you that my brother was the smart one. I um, I tended to get in trouble a lot. Anthony always told me I was too nice, but when you're a waitress, you have to be nice. My entire salary was based on tips. I worked the late shift and a couple of guys would always come in drunk, they'd get really handsy. Normally my manager would kick them out but a few times they'd wait for me out in the parking lot." She sniffled a bit and shifted uncomfortably. "They'd get really physical, pin me against the car, try to force themselves on me… But Antony would always show up and the guys would run before they could do much damage.

"But when this whole mess with Xanus happened and Anthony died, things got worse. Those black ninja things attacked me, but they had no intention of killing me it seemed. I woke up in my apartment after having the crap kicked out of me, naked with some masked man on top of me doing the unthinkable." By now the tears were freely flowing down her face. "He wasn't the first and he wasn't the last! My first experience with a man was being raped by some masked creep that had a hand in killing my brother." Her body was trembling. "I tried to fight back but, I guess I wasn't even worth their time, they just left me there when they were done. It wasn't until I started chasing them down in my van that they burned our apartment down and started taking me seriously, trying to actually kill me." She brought her blurry eyes up to Raphael's finally. "All the scars are from what those monsters did to me when I couldn't do anything back."

As she buried her face in her hands and sobbed Raph wrapped his strong arms around her and pulled her against his chest. "I'm sorry." He whispered against her hair. "But I promise, I won't let anything ever happen to you again." He wasn't sure how he would keep that promise but he would damn sure try his hardest to make sure it was the truth. There was just something about the thought of this woman in trouble, the sight of her crying and the thought of her in pain that made his heart ache. He had never felt this before . Raph didn't like it.

Pulling her with him as he moved towards the wall he leaned against it and then slid down to a seat, holding the woman still as she sat between his legs. She was still crying softly as she leaned into him, obviously his pestering about her past wasn't easy on her and now Raphael was starting to regret the decision. Letting out a sigh he decided to talk himself about some of the scars he had, the deep ones he didn't like to remember.

"I got into a really big fight with Leo once when we were still teenagers. We were visiting our friend April so I went up to the roof of her place to clear my head but while I was up there I was attacked by a bunch of the Foot. I was out numbered and eventually the massive amount of ninja caused the roof to collapse. I landed on the floor in the middle of a bunch of plywood and debris." He traced the crack and missing chunk of his plastron on his upper chest from the fall. It was so old now that the jagged edges had been worn smooth and rounded. "It took me a few days to wake up. I couldn't believe how worried everyone was…"

The story had gotten Jack distracted enough she looked up, wiping at her face, she glanced from Raphael's face to the crack he was messing with on his chest. But Raph continued.

"I have lots of scars. Most are just from fights, most of them aren't all that important." He found one on his leg and traced it. "This is from a fight with the Shredder. Mikey was being an idiot and not paying attention; he backed himself into a corner. So I had to run in and save him. Got hit pretty bad." He sighed and reached up, pulling off his mask he adjusted his eye patch with a frown. "Lost my eye fighting the Shredder. Right after Master Splinter died I…" His features flushed, embarrassed and more ashamed with the fact that he lost control and went looking for trouble. "I kinda went out looking for him. I'm pretty sure I killed him but I took quite a beating. I'm not real sure." He tilted her head up, gently turning her chin. "We all have scars Jacquelyn. We can use them… use them as fuel for the future. I can train you, help you get stronger so you can use this anger and hatred in a… constructive way." Did he really just say something like that? He was really starting to sound like Leo.

The woman sat up straight and wiped at her face. "You can train me? To fight like you?" She sniffled as she looked at him.

Raph shrugged. "I'll try. We have never trained a human before. But Master Splinter learned everything from a human so, it's possible." He felt himself trying to smile as he brushed some hair off her wet cheeks.

Nodding, Jacquelyn relaxed a bit in his arms. "Okay, it's a deal."

Raphael grinned. "Alright. Now, why don't you get ready for bed." He loosened his grip and let her scoot out of his arms so he could stand. His face tinted red for a moment but he tried to ignore it. Their close proximity had been for comfort, nothing more or uncouth. "I'll go get you a pillow and a clean blanket." Walking down the hall to the laundry room he grabbed a poorly folded blanket from a shelf and a pillow and tucked them under his arm. He paused before he left, leaning against the door he took a deep breath. _What are you doing Raph…_ he asked himself. _Don't get attached to this girl. _He took a deep breath and moved silently back to his room. "Here ya g-" the words died in his throat as a smile slowly turned up the edges of his mouth.

Jacquelyn was curled up on the small mattress, already sound asleep. Her face was still damp, as she laid there clinging to the mask that Raphael had left sitting on the edge. Shaking his head, the large mutant gently draped the blanket over the sleeping woman before he scooped her up into his strong arms. Carrying her across the room he laid her in his hammock, knowing that the swinging bed was much more comfortable than the bed that was almost the same as sleeping on the hard floor. Tucking the blanket around her, he let her hold onto his mask for now as he brushed some hair out of her face.

"Goodnight Jacquelyn." He whispered before turning and wondering over to the mattress and laying down himself. He grunted a few times as he tried to get comfortable before finally falling asleep himself.

Meanwhile down the hall, Raphael's brother was still at work with the young mutant that had landed on his table earlier that night. Donatello scratched his head as he looked at the blood sample under the microscope for the umpteenth time.

"Your brother hates me doesn't he?"

The quiet voice caused him to lift his eyes, a bit surprised to be honest, to hear the young one speak. "Nonsense. Raph is just… a bit crude. He will lighten up I'm sure." Donnie sighed and sat back on his stool. "It's been a little tense around here. We are all on edge. Raph is on edge on the time but now instead of standing on a cliff side it's like he's teetering on a razor wire just waiting to fall off."

The one dubbed Antonello nodded. "So what happened? I mean… to make you guys so tense? Did you guys fight or something?"

Donnie looked at him. "No….Well, yes. Partially." He rolled his chair over to the side of the table Antonello was on. As he checked the needles the fed the other turtle medicine he spoke. "Our father died a while ago."

Antonello perked up. "You guys have a dad? You were born like this?" He seemed so interested, so intrigued by this new bit of information.

"Not exactly." He tried to explain. "Our father figure was a rat, mutated, the same as we are. He found us as infants in the sewer, covered in the mutagen responsible for our dramatic change from mere reptiles. He too then changed and took charge of us. Master Splinter, we called him, he came from Japan and was the pet of a master ninja. So now he taught us the secret art of ninjutsu."

"So I'm a mutant."

Donnie nodded.

Antonello took a deep breath, his hands shaking slightly as he flexed his three fingers. "Okay… so, you never explained the fighting between you guys."

"Well, as we trained and grew, we got anxious. We didn't like just staying put in our sewer home. We wanted to see the city. As ninja we were careful, but as teens we were not and others discovered our presence. A man known as the Shredder and his… minions the Foot Clan. Along with numerous others. They initially didn't know of us until we discovered that they were stealing and and…"

"crime. They were breaking the law." Antonello tried to help him search for the words he seemed lost to find.

"True. But its more than that. You see, because we are giant green turtles, humans aren't exactly so keen on accepting us. Our methods of dispatching Shredder and his cohorts aren't always kosher, but we do it all with good intent. We prevent crime, and we aid the people when we can. The means we do it by might not always be legal in the human's eyes, but what we do is help them in the end. "

He received a nod and then a pause. "I'm no good at fighting."

"I believe Raphael plans on changing that." Donnie stood and stretched, scratching at his head. "For now though, just relax and get some rest. I'm sure Raph will be terrorizing you in the morning." He yawned. "But the fighting between us, well, that took place when Splinter died and well we didn't quite know how to handle that. The four of us are all so different and disagreed with one another on how to move on after his passing. Leo wanted one thing, Raph another, Mikey was just upset… It was just a mess…" He shook his head. "Anyway It is getting late and you should rest. The bathroom is down the hall. Last door. I'll be over there if you really need something." He waved and crossed the room to a dark corner that held a bed that looked pristine. He plopped down on it and didn't bother to move the blankets. He started to softly snore soon after.

Antonello watched Donnie wonder off to his bed and fall asleep but he wasn't tired just yet. He sat there, awkwardly looking around for a while before he finally decided to pull the needles out of his arm. Sliding off the table he made his way out towards the living room, not nearly as quiet as the brothers were. He saw the television still moving, images flashing across the screen of cartoon characters fighting and destroying things. As he limped over toward the couch the room stilled, the game paused and a small head poked up over the back of the couch to stare at him.

Short messy black hair looked like it hadn't seen a brush in days but her bright green eyes almost glowed in the dim room. "Do you have a name yet?" She quipped in a small voice.

The turtle nearly fell over at the sudden face staring at him, his heart pounding like a jackhammer in his chest. "Don't do that!" He sighed, trying to calm down.

"Do what?" She asked, propping her elbows up on the back of the couch.

"Scare me." He shook his head and looked at her. "Who are you? I thought… Everyone here was a mutant or something."

Shadow shook her head this time. "I live here sometimes. With my Uncles." She twirled around the cord of one of the controllers. "So who are you? Are you going to live here too?"

"Well, uh… Raphael? I think that was his name… he uh, called me Antonello. I didn't have a name." He scratched his head as he looked at the small girl. "I didn't have anywhere to go so I guess I'm staying but… How are they your uncles?"

"Ant… I like that." She beamed then paused as she crawled up on the back of the sofa to face him, having to crawl over Michelangelo's sleeping form on the couch cushions. She scratched as her messy head before answering him. "Uncle Raph is my daddy's best friend. They don't see each other much anymore though. Daddy used to help them beat up people and rescue people."

The turtle stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding. "So your parents just let you stay with a bunch of giant turtles… That's pretty cool I guess." He glanced towards the clock on the wall. "It's pretty late. Shouldn't you be asleep?"

She shrugged. "I'm always up the latest. You should be the one in bed. If I poked you I'm pretty sure you'd break." She grinned.

"You have a point kid."

Shadow frowned. "My name is Shadow. Not kid. And I have more authority than you. Just because you are a mutant and I'm not doesn't mean squat."

"I-I didn't mean-"

"No. Shut up. You are here because Uncle Raph thinks that you can help fix things since Master Splinter died. That doesn't just _give_ you any rights. You have to earn your place."

Antonello waved his hands, giving up. "Simmer down! I didn't mean anything geeze!" He took a deep breath. "I know I need to earn my keep, how I'll do that… I haven't quite figured that much out yet."

The girl folded her arms. "Ant, you should go to bed. Raph doesn't really go easy on people. If he plans on starting tomorrow you will be in rough shape." With that last bit of blunt advice she slipped off the couch and wondered down the hall to the bedroom that belonged to Mikey and disappeared inside to sleep.

The last being awake simple shook his head before turning around to limp back into Donnie's lab to get to bed himself. "This whole family is weird." He mumbled.


	7. Chapter 7

Raphael slowly opened his eye in the morning, grumbling to himself as he tried to stretch his achy muscles. This mattress was not nice to sleep on. Sitting up and rubbing his eyes Raphael looked over at the hammock. When it was empty his heart about stopped. Instantly on his feet he rushed over.

"Jacquelyn?" He asked to the empty room, picking the blanket he felt an odd sting he didn't recognize surging into his chest. Was that… Panic? Rushing out of his bedroom he grabbed his sai and headed towards the main room of his home to gather his brothers and their new turtle guest. They needed to find her!

But the sight that greeted his eyes froze Raphael in his tracks. Mikey and Donatello were sitting at the dining table beside Antonello eating a proper breakfast from actual dishware on a set table. Shadow was clean, her hair brushed and a new outfit on her as she climbed on top of Donnie's lap.

Mikey looked over when he heard Raph approach. "Dude! I don't know where you found this chick, but can we keep her?" He laughed, he had asked the same thing when they first met April.

Hearing the refrigerator door close, Raphael's eye looked across the room to find Jack moving about the kitchen and pulling fresh drinks out for the boys. She smiled across the room at him and he felt that panic vanish.

"I was wondering when you would wake up." She nodded to the last empty seat. "I'll get you a plate."

Almost cautiously, Raphael sat down as she put a plate of eggs and bacon before him. "What is all this?" He asked softly.

She grinned. "It's breakfast, silly." She got him a glass but paused. "Milk or orange juice?"

"Orange Juice." Raph picked up a fork and looked down at his plate and then around at the table at the other people all eating to their heart's content. He took a bite as she set the glass down, surprised something that good could come from their kitchen. But about half way through his plate he realized there was nowhere for the woman to sit and eat. Abruptly standing, the rest of the group paused in their meal, Jack paused in her half cooking, half cleaning of the kitchen, to stare at him. "Have you eaten?" His eye was set on her.

Everyone else's' gaze followed, expecting an answer.

Her face turned red under the pressure. "Well I… No, I haven't."

Clearing his plate away and moving from his spot he pointed. "Sit." He left little room to argue and the woman obeyed. Setting his things aside, Raphael grabbed a plate, made sure it was clean and set it before her and added food to it. Only then did he start to eat again as he leaned against the counter. Jacquelyn stared down at the plate before her as the others started to eat once more. She poked at the yellow substance, frowning a bit before she took a small bite. Raphael watched her, concerned as she ate unusually slowly, her bites abnormally small.

For the moment he wouldn't say anything, but he wasn't going to ignore it. The family members at the table scarfed down their breakfast. Mikey and Shadow jumped to their feet to rush off towards the couch.

"Ah! You two!" Jack's voice stopped the room. The two culprits frozen mid-stride. "Plates in the sink." They turned around and willingly obeyed, much to Donnie and Raphael's surprise.

"Wow. I've never seen someone have such instant control over him." Donatello looked at the woman. "Good for you. He just may have some hope yet." He excused himself and deposited his own dish into the sink before returning to his room.

With seats empty now, Raph sat down beside Jacquelyn. He glanced at her once before looking across the table at Antonello. The younger turtle still had a few bandages strapped to him, and Raphael could see him favoring his weak hand rather than his strong hand. He grunted. "Take another few days to rest up. You are going to need it before we start."

Antonello nodded before he pushed himself to his feet and limped over to the sink before heading over towards Donatello's door.

"Ant! Come play with us!" Shadow waved him over towards the couch.

"Hold on!" He waved a hand before disappearing into Donnie's room, for more meds most likely.

With the others gone Raph turned back to the girl at his side still poking at her food. "Not hungry?" He asked before he shoved another bite in his own mouth.

She shrugged. "I'm starving… I just can't eat. Not a lot anyway."

Raphael paused and shifted in his seat to face her. Setting his fork down, he propped his head up. "Why exactly, can't you eat the perfectly good eggs and bacon you've made us?"

Bright eyes looked up at him. "I haven't eaten real food in over a week." She admitted.

He nearly choked on the orange juice he was trying to drink. "What?" He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "How could you not have eaten in over a week?" He pursed his lips together, trying not to get angry with her, but it was frustrating. She had starved herself? For what reason?! He let out a long breath and looked at her, trying to let the tension ease from the tight muscles in his shoulders.

Jack recoiled a bit, easily seeing the near anger in his face. "I… I couldn't help it!" She tried to explain. "I would see these kids in the shelters or on the streets… and what little money I did have I'd spend on them, or I'd end up giving all my food away to them." She tucked her hair behind her ears. "I used my last few bucks on gas to get us up here. The tank's empty now and I'm out of cash so… I'm pretty much stuck." She shrugged.

Raphael sighed and shook his head. "You aren't stuck." He reached over and put a hand on hers for a moment before he pulled his back. "We are going to take care of you, don't worry. And… Take your time with the uh… food thing. That's one problem, I'm not really sure how to deal with." He admitted, color tinting his cheeks.

The woman smiled. "Thanks." She said softly.

"You don't have to be so nervous. You did good this morning with the whole breakfast thing, but don't feel like you have to do that all the time. We don't expect you to do that… or anything really." He pushed himself to his feet and took his plate to the sink. "I have some things I need to do and then… well, feel free to just do whatever you want. Explore the house, hang out, or something." He stopped. "Just don't leave." He said a bit sharply. Honestly, he was scared for the woman if she was to leave. Who knew when the Shreader was going to return and if he did, Raph didn't want Jacquelyn to get hurt.

She took another bite and slowly nodded. "Okay." Her brow was creased, a bit concerned by his stipulation but she said nothing.

Raphael nodded and left, glancing once at the living room where Antonello had joined Shadow and Mikey on the sofa to play their video games. The trio was hooting and hollering at the screen and yelling at one another as they played and Raph disappeared down the hall. He went to the very last door and carefully slid open the old Japanese style entry before stepping inside. He took a deep nervous breath and slid the door closed behind him.

The room was dark, small, on the wall opposite him hung two small rice paper scrolls in a mirror of Japanese art. One was simply a few kanji written down the length of paper that read Hamato Yoshi. The other piece of paper was an artistic rendition of Master Splinter that April had drawn after the rat had passed away. A small table, low to the floor was under the hanging scrolls, atop it sat a small tray and a long stick of incense.

Kneeling down, Raphael pulled off his mask and laid it beside his legs as he leaned over and struck a match to light the incense. As the small orange light died and the thin trail of smoke twisted up into the air Raphael closed his eyes and hung his head. Fists clenched on his knees as his nostrils flared. "Master Splinter… I know… I know Leo is normally the one that does this, the one that come to you and talks and asks for things. But I… I don't know what I am doing right now. I just..." He ran a hand over his face. "I feel like a kid again. I'm lost and confused and I just want to do what's right. You always said to do what was right… But i…"He beat his hand against his head. "I always just act, jump in feet first, I never think. That's Leo's job but he's not here. All I want to do is make you proud." Raph nodded and grabbed his mask. "I _will_ make you proud dad." He sat there silently for a long moment, memories of long ago conversations with the rat coming back to his mind. His eyes burned and he felt his chest ache as his grip on the mask in his hand tightened. "I know I've always tried to face things on my own. I don't like seeking help, but… Our family is breaking. I can't let our family fall apart and do nothing. It means everything to me. I just hope I don't screw this up." Grabbing the stick of incense he snuffed it out on the plate and stood before exiting the small room.

He could hear the water running in the kitchen and when he rounded the corner he wasn't surprised to find Jacquelyn standing at the sink doing the dishes. The trio was still on the couch and that could only leave Donnie to be in his room. Walking over to the couch Raphael smacked his little brother on the back of the head. "Mike, come 'ere."

"Ow!" Mikey grabbed his head as he looked up at his brother. "What gives?" He rubbed the lump forming on his skull.

Raph yanked the controller from his hand and tossed it to Antonello. "I need your help with something." He glanced at the child. "Entertain the new guy Babyface." He mussed up her hair before smacking Mikey once more.

"Yes sir!" "Ouch! Okay!" Shadow and Michelangelo rang out in unison.

The brothers walked down one of the halls in their home that led to just some closet space and Raphael stopped. He scratched his head and then put his hand against the wall feeling along the cold bricks and cinder blocks.

"What are you doing?" Mikey asked with a pout.

"The damn house is too small. We need more rooms." He grunted as started to get frustrated, unable to think of how to construct the actual rooms. "Fuck." He punched the wall, scrapping skin off his knuckles and cracking some of the bricks.

"Is there a reason you are destroying the wall?"

Raphael whipped around and looked at his other brother. "Donnie… I uh. We need to make more rooms." He blurted.

"Of course we do. But you can't punch your way to them." He waved them over to his room where he already had the floor plans for their home laid out on his table. The tech-head started spitting out words Raphael barely comprehended. Things about where they needed to knock down a wall, build new ones, construct another bathroom potentially, gather materials, and get more furniture. By the time Raphael and Mikey were done with their barrage of questions and they had an actual game plan down, it was well into the evening.

As the three walked out into the living room Raphael barked out the last order. "Alright, you guys go get the materials from the surface, I'll start knocking things down."

Donnie and Mike looked at one another. It wasn't like him to give up the chance to go top side but they shrugged and grabbed their weapons before soundlessly slipping out. Turning to the room, Raphael found Ant and Shadow still at their game but Jack was nowhere to be found. He walked over to the couch, about to say something but shut his mouth instead. Across the room on the love seat he saw the woman curled up on her side, sleeping. Crossing the room Raphael stared down at her for a moment before he carefully scooped her up into his solid green arms. Jacquelyn didn't stir as she turned into the mutant turtle, curling into him as he carried her down the hall. Raphael swallowed hard as he felt heat creeping up his neck and face while the sleeping woman moved in his grip. He tried not to make his hold on her seem like it was anything but him trying to be helpful. Nudging his bedroom door open with his foot he walked in the dark and easily found his hammock. Laying her down with care he pulled the sheet up over her and turned to leave.

A small hand found his and stopped him.

"Where are you going?" Her small sleepy voice asked as she rubbed at her eyes with her free hand.

Raphael closed his eye for a moment and tried to fight the heat that he couldn't stop from spreading through his chest. Turning he looked back down at her. "I'm going to fix the place up. Get you and the kid rooms."

She yawned. "I don't need a room. I like it here." She mumbled.

That made his heart nearly stop. He looked at her and blinked a few times, his mouth going dry. It was nice that she liked staying with him, he liked hearing that. But… "I don't uh, want you to feel trapped in here. I'll make you a room. And you can use it if you want. If not, that's up to you."

Her hand slipped off of his as she started to drift back to sleep. "I don't feel trapped with you. I like being…"

He stood there, waiting for her to say something else but she was already asleep. Sighing, Raphael lifted her hand and put it under the blanket before walking out of his room and shutting the door. _What are you thinking?_ He asked himself_ You are acting like a child. She is just a woman, you shouldn't be getting so worked up about every little thing…_ Yet he found himself staring at the door.

Grunting he shook his head and walked across the living room to where they planned on building the other hallway extension. There was another abandoned part of the subway station over there so it was a perfect area to add more. Raphael took a few breaths and grabbed the sledge hammer from the stack of tools Donnie had provided. In Raphael's hands it made quick work of the first part of the wall. Bricks and rebar crumbled as Raphael knocked down the wall that would eventually be refined and stabilized. He looked around the dark dank area and frowned. This was a lot more work than he was expecting. But he was determined, he kept at the work until he brothers returned with wood and other materials they had salvaged from the surface as well as other materials they had to get Casey to go buy for them.

"Casey says Hi by the way." Mikey told him as he set down his arm full of bags.

Raph glared over. "Tch." Was all he managed to say, still bitter about the last thing the man had said to him.

"I forgot to mention why we were building the new rooms though so he doesn't know about your girlfriend." Mikey went on. "He'd probably be all excited to hear about her if he knew you had a chika living with you."

"Jacquelyn is not my girlfriend." Raph snapped. "I'm just helping her out."

The orange wearing one held up his hands. "Yeah sure. Whatever." He teased.

The three brothers worked all through the night. Donnie instructed them on how things should go as much as he could until Raphael would get pissed and just do it his way. Mikey helped between his playing. Of course Raphael just did most of the work himself and prayed it was right. They passed out on the floor amongst the tools and supplies, their job not even half way done around dawn. Raphael was exhausted and didn't really care where he slept at that point.


	8. Chapter 8

"Who the hell are you?"

Jacquelyn bolted upright in the hammock, the swinging bed almost toppling over. "Huh?" was the only word she managed to mutter as she brushed her tangled locks out of her face and tried to focus on the feminine face glaring at her.

Pale green skin, dark brown eyes and matching brown hair pulled back into a pony tail. The female was clearly not a human, but also clearly not a turtle. "I'll ask you again. Who the hell are you? And why are you in Raphael's bed?" Her hand lashed out and flipped the smaller human out of the hammock.

Landing in a heap on the floor, Jack let out a small cry when her weight landed on her sore wrist. She shifted to a seated position and stared up at what she realized was a mutated lizard. "My name is Jack. Who are you?"

"Why are you in Raph's room?" Mona asked instead of answering the question. Her long tail twitched as she put her hands on her hips.

Getting to her feet she brushed her pants off and looked up at the other female. "Why are you?" If this chick was going to play hardball, Jack could play it right back.

Mona Lisa's eyebrow twitched. "Stop being a bitch and just answer the question." She took a step forward, smirking when the human backed up into the wall.

Her features burned red as she crossed her arms. "I'm staying here." She answered. "This is where I've been sleeping the past few nights."

She rolled her eyes. "Gawd, what the hell is he thinking." She whirled around and stormed out. "Raph! Raphael! Where the Hell are yo-" her words died in her throat when she caught sight of the green turtle passed out on the couch. "Leo!" Without a second thought she vaulted herself over the back of the sofa and landed on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting her lips on his.

Antonello's eyes snapped open as a burst of pain shot through his arm and shoulder. He nearly shouted when his mouth was covered by someone else's. Their brown eyes locked and Mona scrambled away from Ant, both of their faces now red. She jumped to her feet, stammering as she pointed at him. "What the hell?!" She nearly screamed. "You aren't Leo!"

"uh…. No." He said simply.

She slapped him leaving a nice red hand print on his cheek. "How dare you trick me like that!" She blamed him, even though it was her fault.

Raphael was rubbing his face as he walked into the living room. "What the hell is going on in here?" He yawned.

"Who the hell is this?" Mona pointed at the turtle she had just assaulted. "And that girl in your room?"

"That's none of your business Mona. Now stop molesting the kid and tell me what ya want." He smirked, it wasn't often she was in such a fluster.

She stomped over to him, her face still red and angry. "Where is Leo?" She demanded, brown bangs falling into her face.

"He's still down south doing his thing."

"I told you to bring him home!"

Raphael frowned. "I'm not your errand boy." He snapped. "I went down there and found him. We talked. I left. He will come home when he damn well pleases." His eyes shifted and he saw Jacquelyn slowly walking out of his bedroom, holding his splinted arm awkwardly. He pointed, his eyes snapping back to Mona Lisa. "What the hell happened to her?"

She scoffed. "Nothing."

In an instant Raphael was in her face. "What. Did. You. Do." He bit off every word, his body twitching to grab hold of the weapons not on his belt but across the room on the table. Instead he would have to make due with some other form of injury; not a problem. But he restrained himself for now.

His brothers were finally waking and walking into the room to see the situation. "Raph! What are you doing man?" Mikey ran over and tried to get between them, one hand on his brother's chest, the other on Mona's shoulder.

"She needs to leave." He grunted and turned to walk away.

"Fuck you." The lizard snapped back. "Soon you won't be able to just send me away Raphael!"

That stopped him. Eyes ablaze he turned back around and looked her hard in the eye. "There is no way in hell I'm letting ya move in here. No. Fucking. Way." His still bandaged arm shot up and pointed to the door. "Now out!"

She flipped her hair and stormed out, pausing briefly at the door. "Tell leo that I need to talk to him when he gets back."

"OUT!"

The door slammed and the room fell silent. Raphael stood there his chest heaving as he tried to swallow down his anger. He wanted to check on Jacquelyn and see what more had happened to her arm, but his anger at Mona Lisa could make him testy to say the least. He didn't want to say anything wrong to her.

Mikey just shook his head and joined Donnie in the kitchen as the smartest one in the room prepared breakfast. Antonello slowly scooted off the couch, where he had been frozen and hurried over to the kitchen. "Who was that chick?" he whispered. "And why did she kiss me?"

"We will explain it later." Donatello told him as he started to burn some pancakes.

Raphael closed his eyes briefly as he took a deep breath. _Keep it together…_ He opened his eyes and walked over to the human still standing in the hall looking at him. "Are you okay?" He asked, each word came out with direct intent, carefully spoken.

The woman nodded. "It's fine really. I just landed on it weird."

He nodded, looking down at her and the splint. "You should ice it. Do some stretches. I'd help you but, I'm still helping the guys build the new rooms for ya- you… And the kid." He almost slipped up. Raphael didn't like to let the others know. It was his little secret with April. When Casey had left and gone to California she had taken it pretty hard, so did he. They spent a lot of time together and April would practice her broadcasts, Raph of course, the clumsy cameraman. But after hearing himself on camera one day, and hearing how… uneducated he sounded. He wanted to change it a bit. It wasn't that he was stupid. He just used a lot of slang, and his thick accent didn't help it. So April tutored him. It was slow and a lot harder than the physical training he was used to, but eventually he got it down to where he was used to speaking like a normal being. But when he was tired or angry he tended to slip up.

Jacquelyn nodded. "I'll be fine on my own. No worries." She shifted her weight to her other foot, her pale hair falling loose from behind her ears. "I feel bad, you guys doing all this work, just for me."

"Don't." He shook his head. "This is good for us."

She offered him a small smile. "Okay."

Raphael turned away from her and looked at his brothers. "Alright you two. Enough with the gossip… Back to work." They walked back to the hole they had knocked in the wall and within a few moments the home was filled with the sound of banging and arguing as they worked out what they were doing yet again.

Jack made her way to the fridge and opened the freezer, pulling out some ice and wrapping it in a towel before resting it on her splint as she leaned on the counter.

"So what are you going to do all day?"

She jumped, eyes looking over to the turtle left sitting at the table. Somehow she hadn't noticed him sitting there. "Oh… I uh, was going to go to the training room I guess." She said quietly.

"You do this ninja stuff too?" He looked surprised, his features a little red. The pair hadn't really spoken much since he nearly choked her when he first woke up.

Shaking her head she laughed a bit. "No not that. I um, did a bit of gymnastics back in the day. I figured it wouldn't hurt to get back into some practice if I wanted Raphael to train me."

"Mind if I tag along? I can't do much but… the uh… Shadow? She isn't here so I can't get the game working."

Jack looked around and was surprised to not find the girl around anywhere. It was possible she was still sleeping. "Yeah, you can come I guess…" She started to walk back towards the hall. She gestured towards the training room. "I need to change." She said before slipping back into Raph's room. After rummaging through her things, she found a pair of tight athletic pants and a sports bra, but she was out of clean shirts. Nothing but one spare clean one to wear afterwards. Changing into the workout pants and sports bra, she looked down at herself, red faced and sighed. Back in the day when she practiced gymnastics at the gym, she was used to dressing like this. But then she was surrounded by woman, in a gym full of other women. Here, she was the only female. And she was still self-conscious being so exposed.

There wasn't much of a choice so she walked back over to the training room where she found Antonello trying to do some stretches and push-ups but failing when he pushed himself too far. She winced when he fell. But when the turtle looked up at her he froze. "Wow."

She paused. "What?" She stopped and looked down at herself.

"Nothing you just look good."

Jack wrinkled her nose and shook her head. She didn't really want to think about how she looked. Reaching up she pulled her long hair back into a pony tail before she tossed the ice bag aside. The woman started out with some basic stretches, arms, legs, back… but the more she moved and the more she loosened up the more her body started to remember its training. Her body could fold in half, her nose touched her shins and when she bent the opposite way, she could grab her ankles and pull her head towards her feet and nearly do the same thing. Her splits her flawless in all directions. She mixed in some unique yoga poses to help strengthen her balance as she practiced.

All Ant could do was stare. As he watched her move the woman contorted her body and stretched it, pressing herself into odd poses that almost seemed inhuman.

After a while her skin was coated in a glisten of sweat as she pushed her muscles to work. The last thing she wanted to try again was her handstands and her handstand pushups. But with her wrist…

"Screw this." She ripped off the splint and tossed it to the floor. Looking down at her hand, it wasn't swollen any more, but she could still see the old scars she had inflicted on herself across her pale skin. She frowned but ignored them. She couldn't erase them anyway. Jack rolled her wrist a few times gently to try and get the bone and ligaments moving again. It didn't hurt. So she'd give it a go. Putting her hands on the ground she found a sturdy base and carefully kicked her legs up into the air. So far so good.

But it didn't last long. Jacquelyn felt a twinge of pain in her wrist that made her body waiver just as the door opened.

"Whoa…" Mikey's voice reached her ears.

Her elbow buckled and the woman started to fall over. But before she even had a chance to hurt herself further, there was a strong hand on her side and arm under her, supporting her as she was caught. Jack opened her eyes and looked up at Raphael. He was in a near split holding her a few inches off the ground.

She smiled a bit nervously, her features turning red. "Nice catch."

"Nice hand stand." He eased her up to her feet as he stood as well. "You didn't tell me you could stuff like this." He went to the corner and grabbed her a bottle of water.

Shrugging Jack wiped off her forehead. "It is nothing special and I haven't done it in a while. I was never that good anyway."

"You shouldn't say that!" Mikey interjected as he rushed over. "Master Splinter always said that, no one is good or bad at something, we all just have our own skills. Our dedication and heart is what makes us great." He scratched his head. "I think that came out wrong…." But his eyes found the stripes on her wrist and he gently took her small hand and pulled it away from her stomach, flipping her palm up to examine the skin that had been previously hidden under the splint. "What's this?" He asked innocently.

The crisscrossing marks from a razorblade were ugly reminders of her brother's death. When she had been so depressed and felt so alone she didn't know what to do. And after being attacked, she felt even worse so suicide seemed like the only way out. Of course she knew the ridiculousness of that thought now, but she couldn't erase the memory, or the scars.

"They are scars, Mikey." She tried to pull her arm back before Raphael saw, but it was too late. She looked up at him and saw something in his eyes. A shadow of something that almost looked like pain and fear shifted over his gaze before the normal grumpiness took over.

"Let her be Mike." Raph waved him away. "Go get her some more Ice or somethin' if ya want to be useful." He waited for his brother to leave before he walked out without a word and went to his bed room leaving Jack and Ant alone.

Jack glanced to the other turtle once before she hurried after Raphael. She pushed the bedroom door open to find Raph setting his mask and sai down on the night stand. "Raph? Are you alright?" She asked softly.

"Just peachy." He said a bit harshly.

The woman jumped, and frowned as she let out a breath. "Talk to me Raph." She pressed as she took a step into the room.

The turtle climbed into his hammock and flicked off the lights. "I said I'm fine." He snapped.

Her bare feet carried her around to the other side of the room where she ducked under the hammock to face him. She forced him to look at her, for once her expression serious and stern. "Stop it." She jerked the blanket off of him. "I don't care if you are upset with me. Or in a mood or whatever, but don't you dare lie to me. Tell me what is on your mind. Tell me what I've done to piss you off." Her bright eyes locked on his in the dark.

Raphael sat up and looked her hard in the face. "You know why I'm pissed? Because you would think that killin' yourself is easier than living." He grabbed her hand and flipped it over, making her wince. "That you would want to just give up something so precious as life. That's why I'm pissed." He shoved her hand back at her, his face heated and red with anger, both at her and himself. He knew he didn't want to be treating her like this but he just didn't know how else to say these things to her.

Her brows creased. "I told you about what I went through. I didn't know how to deal with all that alone! Yes… It was stupid. I tried to kill myself because I didn't know how to deal with being abused and violated all on my own." Tears were welling in her eyes. "I know how stupid it was, how angry my brother would be now. I don't need _you _telling me that! What I really need is a friend who isn't going to be bitter about my past mistakes." She ducked under his hammock and wiped at her eyes as she headed for the door.

_Shit._ Raphael rolled out of his bed. "Jacquelyn wait!" He called as he groped in the darkness for her. His hand landed on her soft shoulder but she shrugged him off, much to his surprise and hurt. He felt that odd sting of pain in his chest.

"Don't. I really don't need you to criticize me for this…" He could hear her trying to hold back tears as she grabbed a pillow. "I'll go sleep in the living room."

He grabbed her hand and stopped her. "You aren't going anywhere." He said softly. Closing his eye he let out a long breath as he turned her around and struggled with the next words. "I'm sorry. I just didn't like the thought of someone like you ending your life. It's a beautiful thing and it should be put on display, not snuffed out." Raphael pulled her closer, slowly wrapping his arms around her. "I'm not mad at you, just the situation you were put in that led to this. Okay?"

The woman nodded but now she was quietly sniffling, trying to fight off the tears unsuccessfully.

"Come on, let's get you to bed." Raphael scooped her up into his arms and carried her over to the hammock. Setting her in the bed he picked the blanket up off the floor and was ready to drape it on her when the woman sat up.

Wiping at her face she grabbed his hand and stopped him. "Will you lay with me?"

Heat burned his cheeks and neck as he looked at her. "What?"

"I'll scoot over or something… just… Lay with me. Please? I feel better when you are here." She asked him.

"I…."Raphael didn't want to deny her request but, it was still new and strange being so close and connected with her. Not that he didn't enjoy the few moments that they shared. Easing himself into a seat beside her, he bit his tongue and just grabbed her, moving Jack as he moved; it was easier than trying to dance and be so shy about it all. He laid down and pulled the woman up onto his chest, his heart was racing, beating against his shell like a hammer he was afraid she'd hear it. This was the easiest way for the both of them to lay in his hammock, he figured so, it'd have to do. He just hoped Jack didn't mind.

Raph made sure the edges of the fabric around them were up high enough to keep her in before he pulled the small blanket up over her and gently started to rock them with his free foot. Jacquelyn rested her head in the crook of his neck, against his warm skin before the parts of his shell formed. For a little while her fingers traced the cuts and gouges and cracks in his plastron but it wasn't long until she fell asleep.

The turtle holding her couldn't fall asleep that easily, his heart was still racing even though he was well aware of her slowed and steady breathing. A big hand reached up and gently moved hair from her face so he could try and see her but it was all moot. She was lying of the side with his missing eye. Yet he found his other hand gently stroking the patch of soft skin it was on top of and he had to force himself to stop. Jack was not his girl. She wasn't going to be. These plagues of emotions and feelings were just torments he had to learn to bear. After all, he was a giant turtle, she'd never share in a similar feeling…right?


	9. Chapter 9

Raphael laid there awake for hours. Something about just having the woman so close, wrapped in his arms, set him on edge. He could feel her warm breath every few seconds on his neck as she breathed her lips just a few centimeters away from his throbbing veins. She shifted in her sleep and snuggled into him, finding refuge in his warmth but it only brought him more torment.

He couldn't do this. Ignore the feelings this long. He was never good at that. It was what always got him in trouble. He spoke without thinking, acted first and asked questions later. He wasn't good at this whole, hiding how he felt thing. But Jacquelyn was human and he wasn't sure why he felt this way, why she made his heart race or why he wanted to just drop everything to just jump to her aid and spend all his time on her. Was this normal? Was this how Leo felt about Mona Lisa? But Mona Lisa was at least like them… Jack was human; she would never return these feelings. To her, he would always be some deformed monster.

It hit him like one of Leo's kicks to the gut.

As carefully as he could Raphael slid himself out from under the woman and scooted himself out of the hammock. He made sure to steady the bed, not letting it swing too much as he climbed out and onto the floor. Standing there looking down at her, he caught the glisten on her cheeks in the dim light of the old tear stains from their argument. He fought with people a lot. Especially recently. But seeing the stains on her cheeks made a ball of guilt drop in his stomach, bile crawling up the back of his throat made him almost want to puke. She deserved better than this.

After adjusting the blanket, Raphael grabbed his things from the night stand and walked out into his home. No one else was awake. Mikey was surprisingly in his room instead of on the couch. Donnie in his room and Ant was left with the sofa. Since Raph couldn't seem to get his mind to calm down he went over to the unfinished hall way to see if there was anything that he could do.

The turtle worked in silence as he hefted up the two by fours that would frame the new rooms and put them into place. He grunted softly as he moved piles of debris and rearranged things into so semblance of order and a few hours later there was something that finally looked like two rooms and a hallway. Raph wiped a drop of sweat from his eyebrow as he leaned back and stretched. He grabbed a hammer and started to nail the support beams into place, each one only taking one hit to go in. He didn't really want to be too loud and wake everyone up anyway… not that he really thought about that, but it may have crossed his mind at one point.

"What are you doing?"

He paused, setting the hammer down as he glanced over his shoulder at the little girl behind him. But what surprised him more with the well-built man standing behind her. Instead of answering the girl's question, a glare crossed Raphael's face and he turned back to continue doing his work.

"Aw come on man, don't ignore my kid." Casey chided, but he was smirking, you could hear it in his voice.

"Why not?" Raph snapped. "You do it all the time." The hammer smacked down on another nail. "I see her more than you do. When was the last time you ever played a game with her?"

Casey scowled. "Hey now… Don't tell me how to raise my kid!" He got in Raph's face and the two started yelling at each other, poking one another in the chest as they vented. Raph about being left behind, Casey about his marital problems. They both had been neglecting their friendship in different ways.

By the time Jack had stumbled out of the bedroom to see what the ruckus was about, Mikey, Donnie and Antonello were already awake. Lined up and watching the show Mikey and Shadow were munching on a bag of Cheetos as they watched the two meat heads fight.

"Just in time for the real show." Mikey grinned at her just as Casey tried to put Raphael in a headlock.

Instantly the pair was on the floor rolling around in flying arms and feet. The human was at a severe disadvantage. He had a background in brawling but it was no match for Raph's long history of martial arts. Punches were flying, landing, as were the kicks. Rolling her eyes Jack walked towards them.

"Boys!" She shouted, but they either didn't hear her or ignored her.

They tumbled and got so close to her at one point Donatello had to pull her out of the way or else she would have gotten punched. It surprised her, somewhat, that Raph would accidently hurt her, but then again, it didn't. He was so worked up anything he'd do right now wouldn't really surprise her. When she started to see smears of blood on the floor she had to stop it.

"That is enough!" The woman jumped into the middle, doing her best to push the two apart.

It wasn't the smartest idea because the last thing she saw was a green fist flying towards her face before she squeezed her eyes shut.

The room froze. Jack cracked an eye open and let out the breath she was holding when she saw Raph's fist just a few centimeters away from her nose. Her body relaxed and she put her hand on her racing heart.

"Holy shit!" His arms wrapped around her and pulled her against his warm chest. "What the hell were ya thinking?" He whispered to her. "I could have killed you." There was genuine fear in his voice, something, she hadn't heard from him, something she didn't even hear when she had woken him up when they first met.

Casey sat there and wiped a drop of blood off his chin. "Who the hell is this?" He asked, the anger vanished from his voice, now replaced by complete curiosity.

"I told you! That's Jack!" Shadow piped in from the side lines.

"You never said she was a chick."

With a red face Raphael let the woman go and scooted back a bit. Getting to his feet he offered Jack a hand up first before he extended a bloody hand down to Casey to help his friend up. "Casey, this is Jacquelyn, Jacquelyn, Casey. He's Shadow's old man."

"Nice to meet you." Jack gave him a small smile before turning back to Raph and frowning. "You really shouldn't be fighting. Either of you." She shot Casey a glance when she heard him start to snicker behind her. "Now what's going on? It's four in the morning!"

Both of them looked away from each other and from her.

She shook her head. "Really? Nothing." She sighed and ran a hand over her face. "Fine then. Pummel each other to death. I'm not going to stop you." She grabbed shadow's hand. "Come on sweetie, I'll braid you hair like I promised."

"Awesome!" The girl hopped off her uncle's lap and bounced alongside the woman as they walked towards the living room.

Casey watched his daughter skip after the stranger much like he wished she'd skip after her step-mom. He looked back to Raphael. "So, you finally found yourself a girl?" He asked with a bloody grin.

"Heh." Raph didn't sound too cheery. "I wish." He shot a glance to his brothers and the new kid and they scattered. Motioning towards the kitchen the Casey led the way and Raph pulled out an ice pack for him as the human fell into one of the chairs. "So what are you doing down here anyway?"

"Herfmm merf serrr de-"

"Move the ice pack, I can't hear you numb-nuts." Raph shook his head.

Casey moved the frozen peas off of his nose and mouth. "Hey, does a guy have to announce every time he wants to come visit his best bud?"

"One, you hate the sewer. It takes a threat and a half to get you down here. Two, you haven't been down here in months. Three… The last time we spoke… well, I wasn't too happy with you." Raph sat on the counter, staunching his own bleeding lip with a dish towel.

The man sighed and hung his head, pressing the frosty bag to his bruising skin. "Yeah I know. I.. I've been an ass lately. I haven't been nearly as good of a friend, or husband as I should." He scratched his head. "I lost my job at the factory and haven't had any luck finding a new one. I spend all my time at home with C.J. while April works… I feel like a failure of a man."

"Dude you're not a failure." Raph understood, and he felt his animosity subsiding. "We all have setbacks, you'll bounce back. Maybe you should break out the old hockey mask and we can go beat in some heads. What do ya say?" He grinned.

"Sounds like a grea-"

An ear piercing scream tore through the house. Raphael was on his feet and running towards the living room, Casey close behind. The sight that they found, surprised them both. Jack had her face buried in Ant's chest, the young turtle standing there rather clueless. Shadow was sitting on the sofa, her hair only half done, a frown on her face.

Raphael's chest tightened as he approached the woman clinging to the other turtle. "Jacquelyn?" He asked softly.

Before he could even finish her name she turned around and latched onto him. It was a bit of a surprise but Raph put his arms around her and tried to shush her and calm her down.

"What happened?" Casey looked from his daughter to the turtle he now realized wasn't one of the brothers.

Antonello shrugged. "I have no idea! We were just watching some TV and braiding some hair." He was worked up and confused, his hands moving about as he spoke, much like Mikey did. "And then all of the sudden she just jumped up and screamed."

"She was looking at the man on TV." Shadow added as she looked up at her dad. "I think he scared her." She reached over and the battered man picked her up.

Raphael carefully peeled her away from his chest, brushing the hair out of her face. "Jacquelyn, what's going on?"

"That bastard was wearing my necklace!" She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears as a shaking hand pointed at the television. "_My_ necklace!"

They all looked at the commercial displayed on screen, confused. "You have to be a little bit more specific." Raph tried to be gentle with his words, but he wasn't used to this, however… it came a bit easier with her.

"That man… he was from Xanus Pharmaceuticals. Speaking about their new facility." She wiped at her face. "And he was wearing the pendant I got Anthony last year for his birthday." She sniffled a bit. "He never took it off."

Raph's grip on her shoulders tightened a bit, reassuringly, as he looked back to the television. "It'll be okay." He reached over and clicked off the screen before leading her out of the room. He glanced at Casey, his gaze a bit like begging for help but the man was about as clueless as he was. They didn't know how to deal with distraught women. He carefully sat her down at the table and turned to the highest shelf.

Pulling down a dusty tea pot and a few cups he felt that pain sat the loss of his father figure. But he ignored it. Washing it all off, he put some water on and started to prepare some of Master Splinter's favorite tea.

"I haven't seen that in a while." Mikey smiled as he pulled a seat up next to Jack and rubbed her shoulder a bit comfortingly. "Master Splinter's tea fixes everything." He grinned.

Even Donatello came and joined them at the table.

The small group sat around and sipped on tea and shared stories about the old rat, happy stories that the brothers hoped would get the woman's mind off of her sad past. Even Casey had a few stories he could add. They joked and laughed for a good while, until the woman herself was laughing at their antics. Mikey and Donatello doing their best impersonations of each other, their brother Leo, April and of course Master Splinter. But in the midst of it all, Raphael noticed one of them had vanished. Antonello.

Excusing himself Raph quietly got to his feet, letting his brother entertain Jack for the moment while he went to find the other turtle. The living room was empty, as were the bedrooms and training room. Raph walked out into the sewer tunnels and found Ant sitting on a ledge looking up through one of the drain grates.

"You okay kid?" Raph asked as he leaned against the cold wall next to him.

He shrugged.

Raph smacked him on the back of the head. "Don't give me that crap."

Ant looked up at him a bit shocked, but Raph simply shrugged in return. He sighed. "I don't know. I just feel so… out of place." He rubbed his face before staring down at his hand. "I don't remember anything. The first thing I remember was waking up in the back of that van. I just feel like I don't belong anywhere, I have no family, no home, nothing!"

Raphael leaned over and got in his face. "Listen here kid. You ain't alone. Not, anymore. Now, we have work to do around here, and I plan on getting you into better shape than my youngest brother over there so you better get ready." He poked him hard in the chest as an evil looking smirk crossed his face. "Starting tomorrow, you aren't going to eat, sleep, or take a piss without my say so, you got me? I am going to turn you into the best damn ninja we got."

The kid's eyebrow twitched, his cocky teenaged attitude was starting to come out. "Yeah whatever. Don't do me any favors."

Raphael grabbed his finger and twisted it back until the kid was nearly screaming and on the ground. "Don't give me any lip kid. From here on in, I'm in charge of you." He pulled the yellow mask Jack had made from his belt. "You want to belong somewhere… You will earn this." Raph let him go and helped him back to his feet.

Antonello glared up at him.

"I'm a hard ass, what can I say. But I'm not training you alone. I'm not going easy on Jacquelyn. You can do more, simply because you are a guy, and a turtle… That much I know. But don't think I'll be treating her any differently." He looked down at him. "But I will be expecting more from you."

Making their way inside the pair rejoined the others at the table where they were still having a good time. It made Raphael feel better, seeing Jack with a smile on her face. He couldn't rid himself of that sick feeling in his gut when he saw those tears rolling down her cheeks.

So everyone stayed there around the table for the rest of the night just relaxing and talking. Eventually Casey ordered them some pizzas and Jack learned how much giant turtles loved the food. And Ant discovered his new favorite food. It was quite a sight.


	10. Chapter 10

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" Raphael shouted at them.

It had been two months since Antonello and Jacquelyn had come and moved into the sewer with the brothers. Leo still hadn't returned from his trip down south, but the brothers had finished building the extension onto their home and things were running almost like they used to back in the day when they were teenagers.

Antonello had moved into his room. Jack had cleaned up the living room, and with Raphael's persuasion Mikey had moved back into his room… most nights. Jack however spent her nights divided. She had a nice simple little room made up for her. But often struggling to fall asleep on her own, she would find comfort in crawling into bed with Raphael. Raph on the other hand, had a habit of losing sleep when the woman wasn't nearby. He'd wake up constantly just to walk to the other side of the house to check on her. Numerous times passing out, against her door.

The turtles and Jack were all gathered in the training room. All balanced on their hands, well one of them. Doing one handed hand stand pushups. Jacquelyn was still on two hands, doing her best to keep up with the boys that were well past her in skill. Even Ant had advanced in leaps and bounds.

Sweat dripped into her eye as she grit her teeth and lowered herself down again before pushing herself up. Raphael was next to her doing the same exact things the boys on her other side were. But these things all seemed far too easy for him. She always caught him training by himself, lifting weights that weighed four times what anyone else did.

Raph caught Ant lagging. "Ant! Ten ninja hops! Now!" He smiled when the kid started to grumble. "And it'll be an extra five every time I hear you."

So the youngest turtle started doing a series of tumbles and jumps but he had to land with expert precision to be silent like all ninja should. Antonello landed and the floorboard creaked.

"Five more!" Raph shouted.

"Shit." Ant mumbled under his breath as he continued.

Jacquelyn breathed as watched Mikey goof off and go up onto his fingers to do his push ups. His raw talent was envious. He just saw everything as a game. The woman looked back ahead and shifted her weight. She could do this one handed thing. She could. Shifting her balance she slowly pulled her one hand up away from the floor. Her small lean body waivered for a moment before she held her balance. As soon as she tried to do the push up however her balance was lost and she fell over. Hitting Mikey who hit Donnie who hit Ant. They all ended up in a heap on the floor, a tangled pile of limbs and shells.

Raph shook his head as he got to his feet. "That's it today guys. Make sure you eat something good. Not just pizza!" He shot a look towards Mikey and Ant.

"I'm going to stay here and train some more." Jack said, sweaty and panting for breath.

Raph sighed and shook his head. "Don't work too hard." He watched the boys file out of the room as Jacquelyn got back to work. His gaze fell back to her, focusing in on a drop of sweat that was slowly dripping down her neck and over her collar bone, heading towards the low line of the sports bra she was wearing as a top.

"What are you staring at?" She pursed her lips as she paused to ask him.

Raph forced himself to blink. "Nothing." Turning he rushed to catch up to his brothers, and try to forget what he had just seen. The heat in his face and the hammering in his chest however made it a bit difficult. Walking into the kitchen he found Mikey and Ant already raiding the fridge and making a mess Jack would no doubt be cleaning later. Nothing new there; he simply rolled his eyes. Donnie had managed to snag himself some food and was slinking back into his tech cave.

"Don! Wait up!" Raph called after him, following his younger brother into his room, closing the door behind him.

The one clad in purple let out a dramatic sigh. "What now Raph? I have work to do. You know, to earn us money. All of our things don't just come for free." He cracked his neck. "You have been working us ragged, even Leo would be impressed."

Raphael scowled. "Look I need some help." It was the first time the words came so easily to the turtle but it was the first time he felt so clueless. Even his meditation session the previous night left him with no answers.

Donnie blinked. "Help? With what?"

Walking over to one of the shelves, Raph picked up some little gadget as he thought of how to say what he wanted but Donatello was quick to snatch it from his clumsy hands and gently place it back. He sighed. "I want to start training Ant on weapons but I'm not sure what would fit him."

His brother nodded. "I see your query." He paused. "What about Jack?"

"What about her?"

He looked at him and frowned. "Okay Raph, try to deny it but we all see the way you look at her. I can understand you not wanting her to fight, but you have to have seen her progress. Just the same as Antonello, she could make a very skilled ninja. She is a human, yes, more vulnerable but she is far more flexible than any of us and her size lends to her speed. Jack is the only one that has beaten Mikey at his stupid games. She could become an outstanding kunoichi if her training continues…" He paused to let the words sink in.

Raphael clenched his teeth. He knew the truth behind his brother's words, he just didn't want to face them. He didn't want to imagine a time where they would all need to be out one day and Jacquelyn would be fighting alone beside them. How they would all depend on her, just like they did one another. That part didn't scare him, it was the part where the enemy would attack her, just as they attacked him and his family.

"They both need weapons, and masks, Raph." Donnie almost smiled.

His gaze lifted. "The kid isn't getting a mask until he starts treating me like I'm not a frickin' dictator." He pulled the yellow strip from his belt. "He's got be like family."

Donatello moved to his chair and started eating the apple he had snagged from the kitchen. "And Jack? Does she have to do anything else to deem herself worthy of earning a mask?"

Raph looked away, unable to answer. It was clear to his brother he had feelings for the girl, feelings he didn't even want to admit. At this point he couldn't even determine if it was infatuation or real feelings. He was so confused.

"I think she has."

That got Raph's attention.

"If it wasn't for Jack then we all would still be at each other's throats, most likely. But you bringing her home, it was a good thing. She has turned it back into a home. Of course we all still miss Master Splinter, but she somehow connects with all of us and helps bridge the gap that he seemed to. Antonello…" Donnie shook his head with a slight smile. "He was a good move too. Training him, together, this is really good for us."

Raph felt himself start to smile. So he had managed to win his brother's approval. He hadn't been looking for it, but it was nice to get it.

"But back to the weapons." Donnie scratched his head. "Master Splinter was an expert at that. He read people, figured them out and what weapons suited them in every way… Here let me try something. Close your eyes." Raphael snorted at him. "Just trust me and go with it." Grumbling, Donatello's older brother obeyed. "Now just focus on Antonello. Think about him. His personality, his habits, his expressions. How is he during training? Is he flexible? Is he adaptable? Are his movement's fluid? Picture him moving, the way he moves with a sparring partner. What is something you can see him controlling and mastering?"

Taking a deep breath Raphael had to try and calm his normally eager to pounce mind. He listened to his brothers words carefully and just focused on the images in his head. Conscious breathing, chest rising and falling steadily for a few long moments until he finally opened his eye. "Kusarigama." He said simply.

Donnie slowly nodded. "I think that is a good decision. It is a great weapon, but, he will need careful instruction on it."

They nodded together.

"Now again, this time with Jack…" Donnie instructed.

IT took longer this time as Raphael thought on her. Some of his thoughts were clouded with images of her smiling face, her sleeping form curled up in his arms, he huffed slightly and tried to focus harder on her fighting. Her technique and skill. She seemed to dance around them, slipping between them with ease, any large weapon would either be too heavy for the small woman or a hindrance to her agile movements.

A scene played out before him, of his youngest brother teasing her and how she slipped around him, much to Mikey's surprise. Around one side, between his legs, off a wall and then a quick kick to the back had the turtle on his face before he even realized she had moved. Once Michelangelo was back on his game they would be quite a match… but if the woman had….

"Shobo." Raphael opened his eyes and looked at his brother.

He paused. "That's different. I was not expecting something like that, but it fits. It fits really well." A grin spread across his face. "You aren't too bad at this Raph, not too bad." He patted his brother on the shoulder and rolled his chair over towards the computer. "I'll find them some suitable weapons, you can start preparing them in tomorrow's training."

He nodded and turned towards the door but stopped short of walking out. "Thanks Don." Then he left. Heading to the kitchen he shoved aside the mess his brothers left and started making a decent meal for himself and Jack. The chicken and broccoli was done shortly and Raph carried the two plates back toward the training room where he froze in place at the sight he found. Jack had her self balanced on her one hand, her back bent back over her head almost to a contortionist level, her legs bent at different angles to help keep her balanced. He had to shake his head to refocus. "Alright. Enough for today. Time to eat."

The sweat covered woman looked up at him and untwisted her body. She landed gracefully on her feet and bent back up in one smooth motion before walking over to Raphael. "Sorry I knocked everyone down today." She apologized.

He shook his head as he put the plate in her hands. "Don't. You did great today." He flashed a grin before turning and walking towards the living room. "Now time to eat." But when they entered the living room Ant and Mikey were hogging he couch and Shadow was sprawled out on the loveseat. Raph frowned.

Jack elbowed him and motioned towards the other hallway. "We can eat in my room. I need to grab a shirt anyway." So she led him down the hall and nudged the door open. Inside it was rather simple, just a low lying bed, and a small dresser. She had managed to paint the walls, and had her clothes in the dresser but she still didn't spend much time in there. Setting her plate down, the woman leaned over and pulled a towel out of her dirty clothes bin to wipe off her sweaty neck and chest. Tossing it back into the bin she opened a drawer and found a loose fitting shirt. It was still quite big so she bunched up a side and tied it up in a knot before she sat down on her bed beside the turtle.

"So, what's the game plan for tomorrow?" She asked after a bite.

Raph swallowed. "Weapons." He said simply before more food was in his mouth.

Jack froze a moment, her bright eyes flicking down to his belt and the shiney weapons stashed there. "I'm going to learn how to use those?" She quirked a brow and then chuckled. "I don't think I could ever master something like you."

He shook his head. "Master Splinter said that one never truly master's their weapon, you can always learn more from it." He paused and looked at her. "And while I can use my brother's weapons, and am… okay with them, I am much more skilled with my own. You and the kid, will be getting your own. Something more suited to your own set of skills and abilities." He flashed her a quick smile.

Her features flushed a moment before her smile faded. "Raph… I've never used a weapon. The closest thing I've ever used was a frying pan when I was attacked in my apartment…"

Setting his plate down he turned to face her. "Don't worry. I'll teach you the basics. Donnie is going to find some other things for you too… Your weapons are unique to say the least. So they will require a little out of dojo studying." He watched the confused look on her face. "Don't worry, It'll make sense tomorrow."

She shrugged.

The pair sat there and ate their dinner, talking together like they did every night. But it wasn't long until Jacquelyn was so tired, she practically fell asleep mid-sentence. Raphael picked the woman up and laid her down properly on the bed and pulled the sheet up over her. A large green finger brushed a damp blonde lock off her face and the turtle resisted the urge the urge to kiss her forehead. He didn't want to do something stupid so he just grabbed their empty plates from her dresser and quietly left. As he put the dishes away he found his youngest brother and Shadow still playing video games, Antonello passed out on the couch cushion not too far away. Without a word, Raph walked up and turned off the TV.

"Hey!" The gaming pair cried out in unison.

Raph put a finger to his lips and pointed to their sleeping friend. "Tomorrow we start weapons training. Get to bed." He directed at Mikey.

The orange wearing one grumbled, but smiled, a hint of excitement at using his dusty nun-chucks once more.

Shadow was still sitting there pouting. "Why'd I have to stop playing?" She asked.

Picking her up and messing up her hair before letting her hang off his arm, Raph smirked. "We have to go visit your mom Babyface. I need her to do me a favor… And I think it's time I meet your brother."

Leaving a note on the table, Raphael gave one last look towards Jack's door, before he walked out into the sewer with the little girl in tow. The walk to the Jones's was a short one and it was night time, so Raph wasn't too worried about being seen, but he just didn't like leaving things so unguarded at home, especially with Jack sleeping. Helping Shadow up the ladder he had her check to make sure no one was around before he came out into the alley way. Then it was up the fire escape to the right floor. True Shadow could have gone inside, but a little girl alone at this time of night? That might have looked awkward, and besides, Raphael didn't want to send her around the other side of the building alone.

On the landing Shadow knocked on the glass a few times and waited as they heard people shuffling around inside. Both of them were surprised to see A pretty redhead pull back the curtains. She blinked a bit confused as she pulled the glasses off her face and unlocked the window, pushing it up.

"Shadow! Raph?! What… What's going on?" She pulled her step daughter inside and wrapped her arms around her planting a few kisses on her forehead before she reached over and gave Raph a brief hug. "What are you doing here?" She asked, clearly surprised to see them.


	11. Chapter 11

"I need a favor April."

The woman raised an eyebrow as she shut the window behind her old friend. "A favor? You haven't seen me in months and the first thing you want is a favor?" She smiled. "Sure. What can I help you with?"

Raph adjusted the strap to his eye patch as he looked for a way to ask what he wanted to.

Shadow pulled April over towards the couch, but the woman's gaze was still set on her terrapin friend. "It isn't like you to be so at a loss for word Raph…" She teased.

"It's about his girlfriend." Shadow chimed in."

Face red, Raph glared at the child. "She is not my girlfriend."

"That's not what Uncle Mikey says." Shadow stuck her tongue out at him.

April's eyes got wide. "So there is a woman?" She sat down at her daughter's urging. "Do tell. I thought after Ninjara that you vowed to never date again."

The turtle snorted. "Ninjara, Mona. They were both the same." He ran his hand over his face as he started to pace. 'They just… They couldn't understand me and they wanted something I couldn't give. Mona was obsessed with becoming human again, and Ninjara just wanted to become the leader of her own clan. I was a side project to her. Something she eventually forgot and well, I am not anyone back burner project." He clenched his fist and resisted the urge to punch a hole in the wall. He took a deep breath and let the air out his nose. "I'm not dating Jacquelyn, she is just my friend." His eyes flashed up to April.

The woman nodded. "I see. So tell me about this Jacquelyn." She pressed a bit.

Shadow jumped in. "Shes great mom!" The girl bounced on the sofa. "She's tiny but she moves like those people that you see in the circus the um…. Um…" her hands moved as she tried to show what she meant.

"Acrobats?" Her mother tried to help.

"Kind of? Like on the balance beam."

"Oh a gymnast."

She nodded. "She's really pretty too! Her hair is long and looks like honey. She talks kind of funny though."

Raph grinned. "She's from Georgia." He explained the accent.

The little girl went on. "She plays with my hair and cleans up everybody's messes on top of all the training Uncle Raph puts her through."

That caught April's attention. She glanced down at the girl beside her and kissed her temple. "Why don't you get to bed sweetie. Daddy has off tomorrow and wanted to take you and C.J. to the park." The girl hugged them both and then skipped down towards her rarely used bedroom so the grownups could talk. "So what's the real deal with this woman? She's human I take it?"

Raph nodded. "Her brother was killed trying to stop a company from using the mutagen. Then she helped out Leo and I… so, she kind of got swept up in it all. She doesn't have much but…"

April could see something in the way he was hesitating, that distant look on his face. He was thinking about her, in more than just the conversation. He was lost in thought, his mind focused soley on the woman sleeping below the city streets. "There's more. You really care for her don't you?"

Heat crept across his skin, turning his face a shade of red. He sighed. "Yes? I… well… I don't know." He fell into a seat beside her. "She scares me."

April snorted as she tried to hide a bout of laughter. "Scares you? Raphael Hamato, I don't think you have ever been scared of anything in your life." She resigned. "What about her scares you?"

"I can't stop thinking about her. I just… It's like every waking moment. I try to meditate, but she's right there. I work out but she is a constant image in my head. I'm training her to fight by the thought of her getting hurt literally keeps me awake at night." He ran his hands over his face. "Everything I have ever known has just been fighting, anger, hit this, kill that, fight them, destroy something…. But when I'm close to her, I go to touch her and I'm scared I'm going to break her. For the first time in my life I don't want to damage the thing in front of me."

April blinked a few times as she stared at him. She hadn't heard him say so much in a long long time. "Wow… I don't think you've ever said that kind of thing about anyone."

Raph straightened. "Yeah well… don't go telling Casey."

"I won't." She chuckled. "But it sounds to me like this girl is more than just a girl to you. I mean back in the day, you guys didn't even let me get that involved." She waved a hand trying to dismiss the subject. She could see the tension building up in her friends muscles. "Anyway. You said you needed a favor?"

Nodding Raph looked at her. "Jacquelyn doesn't really have much. She came here with close to nothing and well… I was hoping you could take her shopping. She's never been in the city and I don't want her going alone. You guys have access to the account Donnie set up for us so…"

A grin spread across her face. "Girl time? That's the favor?" She leaned over and hugged him briefly before he half-heartedly shoved her off. "Oh Raph, you don't know a thing about women." Rising to her feet she straightened out her tee shirt. "I'll come down tomorrow around lunch, make sure she is ready, now… I'm kicking you out. It's late and I need sleep."

"Thanks again." Raph got to his feet and climbed out her window making sure she locked it behind him. Instead of going down he went up. Running across the rooftops like he hadn't done in years. He hopped up on ledges and launched himself into areal flips and bounced off air conditioning units and other loud rumbling apparatuses that kept the buildings below him alive. He stayed out in the fresh air for a while, stopping by the park.

He stood there staring dumbly at the patch of wild flowers before him. His conversation with April reminded him of all the things he had done wrong with his relationships in the past. Granted not everything had been his fault, and this _thing_ with Jacquelyn wasn't a relationship. But he did care for her. Even on the roof tops he had been thinking of her…

"Girls like flowers right?" He grabbed a fistful and wrenched them from the ground before slinking back into the shadows and making his way back to the sewer.

By the time the turtle got back home the flowers in his hands were missing most of the petals, the stems were bent and broken in his large fist and only a few remained mostly intact. He had yet to notice. His home still quiet with everyone asleep, Raphael went to Jack's room and slowly opened the door to peek inside, but she wasn't there. "Jacquelyn?" He called in softly before stepping in and glancing around. But she was nowhere inside.

She could have gone to use the bathroom so he walked towards the other hallway to find her but the bathroom door was open, the light off. He frowned. Turning to his room he opened his door and peered inside only half surprised to see his hammock move slightly. Closing the door behind him as he walked in he crossed the room and steadied the swinging bed. "Hey." He said softly.

The woman rolled over and rubbed at her eyes. "Hey." She smiled. "I couldn't sleep." Sitting up she went to get out of the hammock but paused, her night vision had gotten increasingly better since her first night there. "What are those?" She asked as she pointed to his hand.

"Oh… I uh…" Raphael felt that heat converging on his face again as he looked down at the flowers. When he noticed that they were half dead he frowned. Pulling the mostly dead ones out and flicking them to the side he offered her the mostly living ones. "They are… for you."

She took them and held them up to her nose like a prized bouquet, even though she only had about four flowers. She beamed up at him. "They are lovely." She put a hand on his chest to steady herself as she leaned forward and planted a small kiss on his cheek. "Thank you. I've never gotten flowers before."

Raph wiped at his face as he looked away, his heart racing. "Yeah, whatever." He rubbed the back of his head. "It's nothing special. I just saw the stupid things." He muttered.

"Well I don't think they're stupid." Carefully she crawled out of the hammock and looked up at him. "I'll get out of your bed so you can sleep." She paused, staring down at her disheveled looking flowers. "Can I still stay in here with you? I'll sleep in the floor."

Raph was about to hop in his bed when he heard her. "Don't sleep on the floor." He grabbed her arm and gently pulled her towards him. Taking the flowers from her hand he set them on his night stand beside his weapons before he lifted her up and climbed up into the hammock with her nestled on his chest like they had so many times before. "Your body will be far too stiff for training tomorrow if you sleep on the floor." He closed his eyes and sighed. _Yeah… That's really what you wanted to say Raph. _ He scolded himself as he adjusted his one arm around her. _You should have just opened up your big mouth, but no, you kept it shut for once. _He closed his eyes and tried to get to sleep, but it didn't come easy.

The following day training was spent divided between their normal physical routines and half studying and learning about their new weapons. Donnie and Mikey were told to practice with theirs since well, they hadn't spent much time with them in a while.

Antonello's weapon, was a small sickle attached to a long chain. Excellent for tangling up opponent and then dealing a final blow. Also good for distance combat and close combat as well. It would be hard to master.

Jack's weapon was much smaller. Small wooden or metal rods held in her fists that poked out either end. They were used by jabbing at the pressure points of the enemy's body. Some of the small rods were sharpened to points to stab the sensitive locations to make them permanently useless and not just temporarily disabled. Raphael picked this weapon for her because as much as he hated the thought of it, he knew she would be the one that could get close enough to dance around an enemy and inflict that amount damage. The tricky part was Jacquelyn would have to learn all the pressure points and what each of them would do. Which ones would paralyze, which ones would inflict pain, and which ones would kill instantly.

The woman frowned as she looked down at the different graphs and diagrams on the table before her. Raphael was off working with Antonello while she sat there reading. After a while, Raph glanced over and saw her unhappy face, pausing his training, letting the younger turtle work on his own, he went over to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Jack brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I… I don't know if I can do this." She looked up at him, eyes big and sad, like she was going to disappoint him.

Shaking his head he reached a hand down. "Come on you've stared at that long enough, time to practice. "

Before she could say no, he had pulled her to her feet. "What? But I…" It was too late, he was shoving the solid wooden rods into her small hands. They were blunted on the ends, only meant for sparing but she still didn't want to use them. They felt strange in her hands.

Standing behind her, Raphael moved her into a starting pose for sparing. It was a bit different from the hand to hand one she had used with Mikey before. He let his hand linger on her shoulder just a bit longer than needed before he let her go and moved around to stand in front of her. "You're fighting me today." He took off his real sai and picked up a pair of blunt wooden ones that were chewed up and a bit mangled.

"Y-you?"

He nodded. "Just a quick fight though. You are going shopping later."

Jack looked at him puzzled, her arms falling to her sides as she fell out of her fighting stance. "What?"

That's when he lunged. His movements were slowed of course, he didn't really want to hurt her, but he needed her to move, to think, and to put her new knowledge to the test. Her reaction was perfect. Jack dodged and rolled under him, her hand lashed out, the weapon in her hand jabbing at a pressure point on his inner thigh. Raphael's leg collapsed for a second before he recovered. The turtle grinned. She was thinking on reflex, it was good. He spun around and threw a hand out to hit her with it. Jack ducked, her hands flying up and hitting a series of pressure points on his forearm and upper arm.

Raph actually swore when she hit one with enough force to make his hand go numb. He almost dropped his weapon as he spun around and launched himself off the wall at the woman. She in turn hit the floor and rolled out of the way but was quick to close the distance once more. Jack realized she couldn't hit him in any convenient places, his shell protected him. She would have to think harder.

The two of them danced around the sparing room each dealing small blows to one another until Raphael had Jack pinned up against the wall, his sai pointed at her neck. They were both panting, chests heaving and covered in sweat. "Got ya'." He smirked, their faces just a few inches away.

"Oh really?"

He felt her shobo tap his inner thigh, his femoral artery. If she'd hit that point correctly he could be dead. His smile got bigger. "Good job. I knew you could handle it." He backed away and held his hand out for her weapons.

Handing them over she smiled up at him, more than happy she won his approval. "Now you should go get cleaned up. April will be here in a little bit. I'll get you some lunch."

"Thanks." She turned and gracefully glided out of the room.

"Dude! What are you doing!"

Raphael spun around and chucked his wooden sai as hard as he could at whoever was behind him. Luckily both Donnie and Mikey were fast enough to get out of the way and the wooden object broke into a few wooden pieces as it struck the wall. Red face he glared at them.

"Standing back up straight, Mikey completely ignored the assault attempt. "That was the perfect chance! You could have just leaned in and been all kissy kissy with her!" He closed his eyes and puckered his lips as he held some invisible figure in his arms.

Donnie smacked him on the back of the head so he'd stop it.

"How long have you two been standing there?" Raphael snapped.

The two of them smirked. "Since before you two started your little dance." Donatello informed him. "But Mikey was right… You did miss he perfect opportunity."

He snorted. "What the hell do you guys know." He snatched his weapons from the side table and stormed out.

"I know she won't wait forever!" Donatello called after him.


	12. Chapter 12

April came around every week or so to take Jack out. She liked the younger woman and didn't think it was right that she was trapped under ground all the time. So after a month or so Jack had a decent wardrobe and a new human friend to confide in, a convenience she had taken for granted before she had lived with the boys.

It had been about seven months since Jack had moved in with the turtles and started training. She was like family now. Well, they saw her that way.

Shadow ducked between a few clothing racks and jumped out to scare her father who had decided to tag along this time. Casey feigned a heart attack and almost fell over. The toddler at his feet poked him curiously until Casey laughed and ruffled his dark hair.

Jack smiled and looked up at April. "So… I have been meaning to ask you something."

The older woman quirked a brow, tucking her red hair behind her ear. "Oh? What's that?"

"I wanted to pay the guys back for all they have done for me… but I don't have any money. I kind of feel like a free loader. I wanted to get a job. Just something small, part time." Jack explained in a rush, trying not to sound too desperate.

Casey looked down at his kids. "Shadow, watch CJ for a second, don't let go of him."

The girl rolled her eyes but took her baby brother to play hide and seek in the clothes.

"Why would you want to do that?" He asked on approach. "They don't expect anything from you, you aren't a free loader trust me."

Jacquelyn sighed. "I know. I just… I wanted to be able to get them something." She scratched her head. "I just am having some trouble…"

April crossed her arms, the bags of thing she had bought swings a bit from under her elbow. "Trouble with what?"

"I don't know where to get a job that's close enough I could make it back and forth home by myself and not freak Raph out…. And I don't know where I could find new weapons for him." She smiled sheepishly. "I just want like a waitressing job, or something…"

Casey scratched his head. "There's that-"

April held up her hand and silenced her husband. "I'm sure there are plenty of secretary jobs that would gladly hire you." She stated. "Why just a waitressing job?"

"I'm pretty dumb." She hurried to continue when she saw the disapproving look on April's face. "I barely finished high school and I don't have a college degree. I can't get a good job. Besides, I'm good at waitressing, It's all I've ever done really."

April leaned in close to her. "You are not dumb sweetie. Don't let anyone tell you any differently, even yourself. You could have any job you wanted, but if you want something simple… so be it." She smiled.

"There's a café that's only about a block away from the sewer." Casey piped in. "It shouldn't be too bad to get from there and back on your own. Pretty sure I saw a help wanted sign the other day."

"Mom! C.J. won't get out of the clothes!" Shadow frowned as she pointed to the particular rack of clothing.

April frowned and went to fetch her children leaving Casey standing there with the younger woman. He looked down at her and tugged on a loose strand of her hair. "Stop frowning." He smiled at her. "So what exactly were you planning on getting the meat head anyway?"

Jack rubbed her arm and shifted her weight to her other foot a bit nervously. "I wanted to get him a new pair of sai. His are so old and beat up… I just think it would be nice to get him some new ones. The problem is I don't know where to get him a decent pair he'd actually be able to fight with."

Casey scratched his head and then tapped a rough finger against the stubble on his chin. "You know… I think I know someone who can help, but it won't be all that easy to get a hold of him."

The woman looked up at him. "Who? Who is it?"

"Well, his name is Usagi. He's not exactly from around here… but he'd be the dude that could get you properly made weapons."

"How do I find this guy?" Jack asked him, the excitement clear in her eyes as she bounced up on her feet.

He frowned. "We need to talk to Donnie."

Later that night Donnie met them at the Jones's apartment. He crawled through the window and tossed his staff to Jack as he cracked his neck. It had been a while since he made a stealthy trip like that. Not that he was bad at it, he just was a little out of practice.

"So what is this super-secret meeting for? Why did you call me and not Raph?" His gaze held on Jacquelyn for a moment before moving on to Casey, the one who had called him.

Casey was leaning into the fridge, scanning the shelves looking for a drink as he spoke. "Your gal pal over here needs some help with something." He said.

Donnie quirked and eyebrow. "Oh really now?" He looked over at the woman he had been living with for a while now. "What exactly do you need _my_ help with?"

Casey grabbed a beer and popped it open as he leaned against the fridge. He too looked at her, waiting for her too explain.

Chewing on her lip Jack tried to figure out what to say. "Casey helped my get a job this afternoon. It's just something part time, I want to save up some money so I can get Raphael some new sai. He said this guy…Usagi knows where to get a good pair but you'd be the one to get in contact with him."

The turtle blinked a few times as she finished explaining. "I see… so why do you want to do this?" He asked her calmly.

"I don't know… Raph has just done so much for me. He rescued me from a pretty pathetic life. He gave me a great home and family." He smiled. "Taught me how to fight and stand up for myself…" Her mind drifted to other thoughts as her features turned red. She didn't mention those thoughts. "I just want to do something nice to pay him back."

"You know you don't have to."

She nodded. "But I want to."

Donnie nodded. "Well Usagi would be the one to get you quality weapons. He knows all the masters. It's just finding him, and hoping he's in our world." Donnie scratched his head.

Jack's brow creased. "Excuse me?"

Donnie looked up from the floor, his thought's pausing. "Hmm?"

"What do you mean, 'our world'?"

Donnie frowned. "How much of our past has Raph told you about?"

"Not much honestly…" She admitted, her shoulders sagging.

Shaking his head, Donatello took Jack over to the sofa and sat down with her. The next few hours he spent explaining the odd details of their lives. Everything from how they came to be, to fighting the shredder and the utroms, the inter-dimensional device and Usagi, the battle nexus… Donnie tried to talk slow and let it all sink in but he knew it was a lot to absorb all at once. "So… How are you doing with all of this?" He finally asked her.

She was silent. For a long moment. "I… wow. So… You guys have really done a lot." She laughed a bit nervously. "To be accepted by guys like you, I guess I am really lucky."

Donnie frowned. This wasn't exactly the response he was looking for, either way though, if she wanted a new weapon for Raph, they didn't really have time to sit and talk forever. He shook his head. "Usagi is from another dimension but he frequently comes here. I maintain a stable line of communication with him. It's mostly for Leo's sake, they were close. Anyway… I will try to contact him for you, I'll let you know what he says." He reached out and put his green hand over her shoulder. "I'd talk to Raph about all this stuff if it worries you."

"It doesn't worry me." Jack said quickly, shifting in her seat.

"Sure it doesn't." Donnie rose to his feet. "You've given me a big job. I should go get started." He excused himself and climbed back out the window.

Casey was leaning against the wall beside the couch, he looked down at the younger woman. "So, how ya doin'?"

Jack stared down at her hands as they fiddled with the end of her shirt. She didn't say anything for a while so Casey sat down beside her and put his arm around her shoulder. "Look, I know it's a lot. If I wasn't around for most of it I probably wouldn't believe it either."

"It's not that… I just…" She looked over at him. "I mean yeah, some of those things are pretty out there… but last year I probably wouldn't have even thought a giant talking turtle was possible." She sighed. "I'm just disappointed that Raph didn't tell me all these things."

Casey set his beer down and looked her in the eye. "You can't think like that. Raph doesn't say much about anything to anyone. It's nothing personal, believe me, he just… He isn't one to talk about the past. Or his feelings."

She nodded. "I should probably get home." She said softly as she got to her feet. "I've got to train tomorrow before heading into work." Casey walked her to the window. She had taken to using the same exit the turtles had, she moved just like them.

Raph was sitting at the dining room table when she finally came through the door. His eye slowly slid up to meet her face as she unstrapped her shobo from her thighs and set them on the table before she sat down. "Where the hell have you been?"

She looked startled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He frowned. "You have been out all frickin' day. I thought you'd be home hours ago."

"I was at April's. We were talking…" She sighed, looking away, unsure of whether or not to bring up the things Donnie had revealed.

Snorting Raph got to his feet. "Yeah well, don't make me worry next time." He turned his back and headed towards his room. "I'm going to bed."

Sitting there she watched him start to walk away, but she couldn't just let him be mad at her when she had just as every right to be mad at him. She jumped to her feet, the chair behind her screeching on the floor. "Raph why didn't you tell me you've fought aliens? Or been to another dimension? Or fought in some galactic tournament?" She blurted out.

The sounds from the living room died down as Mikey paused his game and he and Ant turned around on the sofa to witness the exchange taking place behind them.

The woman's question stopped Raphael dead in his tracks. He turned around to face her, his eye wide as his mouth moved but no sound came out. He was fumbling for words. "I just… It didn't seem important."

"Not important?" She asked him, closing the distance between them. "You have fought with things I didn't know existed, been to places most people wouldn't even believe possible, hell, I didn't even think you were possible a year ago." The frustration in her voice faded as her shoulders slumped. "Do you not trust me?"

Raph ran a hand over his face as he let out a frustrated grunt into his palm. "Of course I trust you. With everything. I just…" He took the last few steps towards her and rested his hands on her shoulders as he looked down at her. "All that stuff happened years ago. It has nothing to do with now. I just… We did that. It's done and over. So I've moved on. If you wanted to know something about my past all you had to do is ask. I'd tell you anything."

She didn't say anything just wrapped her arms as far as she could around him in a hug as she held tight to him. It surprised the turtle but only for a moment before he wrapped his strong arms around her. Raph glanced up at his brother and Ant who were still spying on them, Mikey and Ant were making kissy faces at him. Turning with the woman in his arms Raph loosened his grip and led her towards his room. "So why don't you tell me about your day with April."

"I got a job." She said as she set her weapons down on his night stand.

Raph stiffened for a moment before pulling his sai from his belt. "A job? What would make you do that?" He shoved his rack of weights aside and kicked a dirty towel over to the corner of the room.

Jack looked at him and wrinkled her nose. She picked up the stinky towel he had used to wipe sweat off and balled it up before throwing it out the door towards the laundry room. "I just wanted to find some way to pull my weight around here. If I earned a little bit of money I thought it would be a good way to do that."

Raph turned her around. "You don't need to do anything to repay us. You do enough already."

"Says you." She stuck her tongue out at him before she reached up and started to pull her hair back into a pony tail. She watched the male pull of his mask and lay it on the table beside their weapons. "So when is Ant going to earn a mask?"

He smirked. Reaching into the drawer he pulled out the yellow mask and ran his rough hands over it. "I think the kid has earned it. He's stopped acting scared of me and he's more like another little brother." He reached in the drawer and this time pulled out a strip of green cloth. It matched his skin as he ran his thumbs over it. Turning around Raphael grabbed one of Jack's hands. "Normally we'd make a big thing of this, and for the kid, I'm going to but… This is a little different. You have become an important part of this family, not just to me, but to all of us. I'm not really sure what we would do if you weren't here. You have become a great fighter in the few months that we have been training, and an even better friend. I would be privileged to have you at my side in a fight." He held the band of cloth out before her, smirking. "This is for you. The only human we've ever agreed to give one to."

Jack's smile grew as she listened to him talk, but when she was presented with the mask it faded. Eyes wide she looked at the mask and then up at him. It was like a rite of passage, a sacred honor that she was being given. Tentatively she reached out and ran her hand over the fabric until her hand landed in his. "Raph… I…"

"Look, you don't have to wear it all the time like we do but, it… They mean a lot to us. So, it'd mean a lot if you kept it with you." He looked down at her.

Her small hand took the fabric from him and brought it up to her face. Situating it over her eyes she tied it behind her head and grinned up at him.

He couldn't hide the smile on his face. "You look just like one of us." There was that sting in his chest again. That longing to just bring her closer and run his hands down her skin. He forced his eye closed and took a deep breath. "It's late we should get to bed." He shouldn't be thinking such things. The thoughts should not even cross his mind when there was no way she would ever reciprocate. It was better to just ignore them.

Jack pushed the mask up on her head like a head band, her bangs falling out over her forehead. "Yeah, okay." She moved to follow him towards the hammock but stopped. "I'm going to go grab some shorts, these jeans aren't all that comfy. I'll be right back." She smiled.

Raph simply nodded as he flipped himself up into his hammock to wait for her.

Crossing the house, she was surprised to find it silent. The television was off, Mikey was gone, so was Ant. They must have been in bed. The woman made sure she was extra quiet as she made her way to her room, but silence seemed to come easy to her movements now after so many months of practice. Once in her room she stripped down and donned a tank top and shorts to sleep in. She went to remove her newly won mask but smiled and decided to leave it atop her head.

As she stepped back into the living area she saw a dark figure moving around. She didn't recognize the way he was movie. She had gotten so used to seeing Donnie, Ant, Mikey and Raph moving around in the dark house, she could pick out their shadows no problem. Taking a step forward she almost smiled.

"Leo? Leo is that you?"


	13. Chapter 13

Jack took a step forward towards the turtle standing in the living room. "Oh my god… Leo… where have you been? It's been what? Seven months?" She was grinning from ear to ear as she walked towards him.

The turtle said nothing. But as soon as the woman was close enough, he turned around. One hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat. She couldn't even scream as she was shoved up against the wall. Leo's eyes were glazed over as he seemed to look past her, not at her. Small hands clawed at his as it tightened on her throat cutting of the air and blood flow. She had never been in a real fight before.

That's when her instincts kicked in. Everything Raphael had been training her for clicked. She flipped her legs up and kicked Leo in the face, twisting herself to get his grip to break on her neck. It worked. He dropped her and looked at her stupidly, seemingly surprised by her abilities.

The woman was on the floor, gasping for breath as she scrambled back. "Leo." She coughed. "It's me. Jack." She looked up at him, her big eyes trying to connect with his but it wasn't working. It was like he didn't know who she was anymore, or he didn't care.

Leonardo dove at her. Rolling out of the way, she reached down on her thigh for her weapons. They weren't there. They were in the bed room. She crawled and tried to scramble down the hall towards the bedroom to retrieve them but a hand circled her ankle. Yanking her back, her face bounced off the hard floor as she tried to get away. Leo flipped her over and his fist connected with her gut. "Stop, Leo! Please! What…" She moved her head as his fist went to strike her. There was another hit to her side, then another and another.

When she stopped fighting for the moment Leo paused. Jack took the chance to slip out of his grasp. Jumping to her feet she ignored the bruises forming and throbbing already as she launched her own set of attacks on him. Small fists connected as she danced around him, frustrating the turtle. He screamed as he finally grabbed her by the throat and threw her across the room.

Jack's body collided with the large television and entertainment center. The glass, plastic, and plywood cracked and shattered as the electronics and stand fell on top of her on the floor.

The scream alerted the others to the brother's return. Raph was the first one of his room. "Jacquelyn?" He asked as he walked passed his brothers door.

Mikey rubbed his eyes as he opened his door. "What's going on?" He followed his older brother out towards the living room to investigate the strange sounds.

Donatello opened his bedroom door just as Raph recognized the turtle standing in the middle of the room. "Leo?" He almost smiled. "It's about time you got home. I was about to send a rescue party after you."

But the blue banded one said nothing just drug his feet towards the shattered entertainment center.

"Hey… What happened to the T.V?" Mikey asked, unable to see the woman buried beneath the debris.

Raph stiffened as he watched a blur streak across the room and tackle Leonardo. It was Ant. The young turtle hit their 'Leader' so hard the bricks on the wall behind him cracked. Leo grunted as he tried to punch at the younger turtle but Antonello dodged it. His smaller fists connected with Leo's side as the assault began.

The other three could only stare for a moment, confused as to what was taking place.

"Ant what are you doing! That's our brother!" Donnie called out, afraid to step in, not wanting to fight either of them.

"No!" Ant shouted as he took a fist to the face. "It's not!" The younger turtle kept getting between his elder and the broken T.V. behind him.

Leo let out a guttural scream as he ripped a sword from its sheath on his back. He was enraged when he couldn't reach his true target. Swinging the blade wildly, Leo slashed at Ant. The younger turtle refused to move out of the way. Instead, he caught the blade in his hand. The cold steel sliced down between his two fingers and almost severed his hand in half but Ant refused to let the sword go. Tears were welling up in his eyes, fear or pain, Raph wasn't sure.

Raphael took a step forward. "Leo stop this!"

Leo didn't even acknowledge him. That pissed Raph off some more. "Leo!" He shouted as he dove at his brother. A strong arm circled his sword arm and pulled it back to prevent further harm on Ant. The smaller turtle fell to the ground, cradling his damaged arm and hand. "What the hell is wrong with you Leo?!"

He was thrashing around in Raphael's grip like a rabid animal. Not a trained ninja. Using his own arms to try and pin his brother's in place he yelled. "A little help Mikey!"

Rushing over Michelangelo got in front of his brother and tried to help Raph keep Leo under control. "Uh.. Raph?" Mikey frowned as he struggled against his fighting older brother. "Leo doesn't look normal."

"Fuck." Raph mumbled. Reaching up he grabbed the remaining sword and threw it across the room so it was out of the way. "We have to restrain him until Don can figure this out."

Donnie was busy wrapping up Ant's hand for the time being. It would need some major repair later though. "Just… Hold it still okay." He tried to stay positive.

Antonello shook his head. "I'm not worried about me. He was trying to kill Jack."

The boys seemed to freeze for a moment, until Leo howled again. Raph swept his leg under Leo's and with Mikey's help, got him to the ground. Raph had to practically lay on top of him as he thrashed and squirmed on the floor. After retrieving some rope Mikey helped tie Leonardo up on the floor and Raphael glared down at the thrashing turtle who was practically foaming at the mouth now.

"Where is she?"

Leo didn't answer, coherently.

"Where the fuck is she!" Raph pulled his fist back ready to hit his brother in the face.

"Raph…"

His head whipped around and looked at the young wounded turtle that had come to her aid when he was oblivious. He felt a knot forming in his gut. Guilt, regret, more anger. Jack was hurt, so was Ant, this was his fault.

Ant simply pointed to the T.V. or what was left of it. Raphael dove over the sofa and looked at the pile of plastic and glass. He saw blood leaking out from under it onto the area rug. His heart almost stopped. In haste he starting shoving broken pieces to the side and throwing them behind him. When he caught a glimpse of skin, he remembered to breathe. "Jacquelyn?" He was gentler as he moved the last bits of glass and plastic and wires off of her. There was a deep gash on her forehead and cuts all over her from the broken glass. Blue and purple marks marred her skin in the shapes of fists he knew belonged to his brother. But the woman wasn't moving. "Come on Jackie… be okay." His eye was burning and his vision was blurry until he blinked. Large hands slid under her limp frame and pulled her onto his lap. She whimpered slightly but still didn't open her eyes.

"Raph you should come see this." Donnie's voice called from behind him.

Glancing over his shoulder Raphael glared. "What?" he snapped.

"I think I found the cause of all of this." Donnie held some small object in his hand as he approached, Leo was now silent, passed out on the floor. He looked down at Jack before he knelt down and lifted up the edge of her shirt. "She really should be in a hospital, but I know you won't agree to that. So… Take her to her room and patch her up as best you can, she probably has a concussion and a cracked rib or two besides the obvious cuts and bruises. Then we need to talk."

Cradling the woman against him Raphael silently walked past the others and made his way to her room. Her room was clean, untouched almost, although he saw the hurriedly discarded clothes half hanging out of the hamper. The ones she had just changed out of before she was to come back and fall asleep with him.

His chest hurt.

He should have told her about his past. Everything. It was a stupid thing to get upset over, he still thought so, but he didn't want her to be angry at him for anything. Now that she was unconscious he regretted not telling her everything. Kicking the blanket off the bed, Raphael laid Jack down as gently as he could. Leaving for a moment he returned with the first aid kit that was normally tucked in the closet. Kneeling down beside her bed he took gauze pads and dabbed at the gash that split her forehead open. It cut down from the middle of her hairline to her right eyebrow. Raph couldn't help but think how lucky she was it didn't go lower or she could have lost her eye.

It was awkward putting the bandages on someone else but he applied the butterfly bandages to her face and a few of the larger cuts on her arms and legs after dabbing them all with antiseptic. Dropping the bloody cloths to the floor Raph sighed and wrapped one of her small hands in his.

"I'm so sorry." He mumbled. "I never… I am never going to let anyone hurt you again." He took a deep breath and looked up at her still face. He hesitated before he brought her hand up and gently kissed her knuckles. He left the room quickly, wanting to get back as soon as he could. Rushing into the living room he was glaring, his heart pounding. "Someone tell me what the hell is going on here?!" He shouted.

Donatello was kneeling before Ant with a needle and scissors and gauze as he tried to fix the youngest turtle's arm. He was stitching together muscle tissue and skin, trying to pull the two halves of Antonello's hand back together. "Leo was being controlled by something." Donnie answered without looking up.

Mikey was still sitting on top of their unconscious brother, who was still tied up, face down on the floor. He was frowning. "How's Jack?"

Raph looked at him and shook his head. "What do you mean controlled?" He was biting off every word with extreme care. His fists were flexing at his sides as he tried to not just lunge over and pummel his brother.

"I found a small electronic device stuck to the back of his neck." Donnie glanced at him briefly. "It was glowing slightly until I removed it. Once it was removed it stopped glowing and Leo stopped fighting. It appears to have some sort of purple fluid in it. I want to test it as soon as I am done here. I need you to just make sure Leo doesn't wake up and freak out again. I don't know if there will be any residual effects." Donnie paused and looked at Raph to make sure he was understood.

Raph snorted. He didn't want to be out here, he wanted to go see if Jack would wake up anytime soon. But he wouldn't abandon his brothers. He'd stay, if only to ask Leo what the hell happened as soon as he was awake.

After finishing the stitches and bandages up on Ant's arm, Donnie got to his feet. "Don't touch it, or play with it. Don't even try to move your fingers. I don't…" He sighed. "I'm not sure how well the muscles in that hand are going to heal." Shaking his head he disappeared into his room to test whatever little gadget he had pulled off of Leo.

Raph hunched down in front of their once missing brother and glared at his calm sleeping face. The rage inside him just continued to boil. He was pissed at himself for not noticing the other turtle enter their home. He was pissed that he wasn't there to protect the woman he cared about. He was pissed that his brother attacked her. He wanted answers so he could go sulk and beat himself up for the other things.

"How are you doing kid?" Raph asked without looking away from Leo.

Antonello shook his head. "I'm sorry Raph. I… I tried to stop him. I heard them fighting I should have been out here sooner." He hung his head.

His eye darted over. Shifting slightly he put a hand on the younger turtles shoulder and forced him to look up. "Don't apologize. This is _not_ your fault. We will sort all of this out, don't worry. You just focus on getting that hand better." He squeezed his shoulder a bit before turning back to Leo.

It was a little while later that Donnie emerged from his room, slamming the door behind him and muttering a few curses under his breath. "Damn it…" He came over to his brothers and sighed. "This little implant," He held up the little electronic device. "Was injecting Leo with a concoction of a hallucinogen, a numbing agent, and a mutagen variant that I haven't seen before. It also had traces of a minor paralytic and another few substances I have yet to Identify." Hunching down beside Leo he peeled back his brother's eyelids. "I don't believe there will be any residual effects. However I don't know how aware he was of what he was doing. I don't know when he will wake up either."

Raph had to swallow down the anger grumbling in his chest. Getting to his feet he jerked his head to the side and motioned for Mikey to move. Then with his help they lifted Leo off the floor and carried the unconscious turtle down the hall to his bedroom.

"Should we untie him?" Mikey asked as they stared down at Leo's sleeping form.

"No. He can suck it up if he wakes up normal. Besides, he has to answer a few questions." Raphael turned on his heal and left the room. Mikey hesitated a moment before following his brother out.

Walking through the living room, Raph ignored Ant as he stood and went to follow him. He headed to the other side of the house and to Jack's room. He grabbed a chair from the corner and brought it over to the side of the bed. Sitting down with a sigh he reached over and gently pulled a light blanket up over the wounded girl before he took one of her hands. He brought her hand up in his as he propped his elbows up on the edge of her bed.

"I'm sorry Jacquelyn. I wasn't there to protect you." He hung his head. "I… I should have been better. I should have been smarter and stronger." He squeezed his eyes shut, his eye burning as he felt something dripping down his face. The aching in his chest spread like a fist that wouldn't stop hitting him. "You are too important to me… I can't let anything happen to you. Never again."

He sat there in silence for a long while just gently stroking her hand making sure she was still breathing and didn't seem to be in pain. But after a while he started to talk. He told her everything. Starting from the beginning, he spared no detail as he told her about his life. Everything from his training to his failed love life to the death of Splinter.

Mikey peered into the room and listened to his brother talk to the unconscious woman. He frowned and shook his head as he walked away. He had never seen his brother in such an emotional state. He had never been so attached to anyone. Even his other romantic interests, he had never gotten so involved with. Not like this.

Returning to the living room Mikey fell into the couch and looked over at the mass of broken things piled up on the floor. He could hear Ant wincing behind him as Donnie went back to tend to the massive injury. Mikey put his hands over his ears for a moment before he shook his head and got to his feet. Grabbing a trash bag from under the sink he brought it back to the living room and attempted to pick up the broken and dismembered television set and stand.

"Aw man… even the xbox is busted." He mumbled under his breath and his shoved the broken console into the bag. It took him a good few hours to pick up and bag the larger pieces. By the time he was on to sweeping up the glass and smaller pieces of debris, Donnie had come over to help. "How's Ant?"

Donnie sighed and held the dust pan for him. "He's in a great deal of pain. I did my best to mend his wound, but I'm not a real doctor. I tried to get his muscles and bones back into the proper places but…" He shook his head. "Ant is still just a kid. I know he doesn't remember anything before us, but I'd say he's only about fifteen, sixteen max, and after a massively destructive injury like that to his hand I'm not sure how much function it will have once it heals. He may be permanently maimed for the rest of his life. It's not like it's just a scar, it's a debilitating injury." Donnie stood with the dust pan in hand.

"And Leo did it…" Mikey added as he held the bag open for Donnie to dump the trash in.

"Yeah. Leo did it. That's one of my concerns. If Leo wakes up and is himself, I'm not sure how much of this he will understand… But then, I'm afraid that Ant won't know how to react to the real Leo." He glanced at his brother. "I sent Ant to his room with a handful of pain killers. Hopefully he can sleep through some of the pain."

Mikey tied the bag shut. "What about Raph?"

Donnie paused. "Hm?"

"Raph is furious. Leo was trying to kill Jack. Do you think he is just going to let that go?" Mikey looked up at him. "I know he hasn't said it but it's pretty obvious that Raph cares for her like more than anything else… To have his brother try and kill her?" He shook his head.

"That's what concerns me the most Mikey. Raph's temper, it's so unpredictable I just have no idea how he is really going to react when the two of them wake up."


	14. Chapter 14

The first thing he saw was darkness. His head was a pounding resonating tempo against his skull as he squeezed his eyes shut. It almost made him want to puke. That and the churning in his stomach. He had this nagging feeling like he had done something awful and he just couldn't remember what.

Leo went to pull his hand up but it stopped short, a rough binding holding his hand snugly behind his back. "What the…" He tugged on his other hand. The same result. The turtle started to move all of his limbs only to discover that he was hogtied. He pulled so hard his wrists and ankles started to wear and bleed in some spots. His weapons were missing and he was in some dark room, alone. "What the hell is going on here?!" He finally yelled when he realized he couldn't break the restraints. The door was flung open, the light blinding him for a moment.

"Leo! Leo, tell me you are normal again!"

He squinted towards the light and tried to focus on the figure approaching. "Mikey? Mikey what's… I thought…." He looked around and realized he was on his bed, in his own room. "How'd I get home?" He asked. "Wait, why am I tied up?" He looked up angrily. "What's going on?!" He started squirming around again

Donnie entered the room. "You are finally awake. Good. Now it's just the other two I have to worry about." He looked to Mikey. "Cut him loose, he's back to normal clearly."

"Clearly." Leo frowned as his nerd brother left the room.

Mikey was quick to cut the bindings off the eldest one and pull the ropes away. "Sorry Leo, but we had to. You… you weren't yourself." He tried to explain.

Leo rubbed his sore wrists as he sat upright on his bed. "What is that supposed to mean Mike? Full sentences please."

Mikey ran a hand over his face. "A few days ago you broke in, you were acting all crazy… you tried to kill Jack and in the process you nearly cut Ant's hand in half."

He froze. "I did what?" He looked around the room. His weapons were missing, taken by his brothers he presumed. "But I'd… I'd never do that. Jack helped me, Why would I attack her?" His mind hadn't registered that he didn't know who Ant was, he was too horrified with the fact he almost killed a poor woman. Getting to his feet he brushed past Mikey and found Donnie hunched down by the sofa handing another turtle a handful of pills. Raph? No… the color was wrong.

As he came up behind the couch the smaller turtle looked up and jumped, scrambling backwards before he almost screamed when he put his weight on his hand.

Donatello glared at him. "Leo. Get out of here. Go sit in the dining room."

He blinked, astonished that Donnie had been so threatening, so demanding. Leo obeyed and went to sit at the table. He could hear him talking to the other turtle.

"Calm down. Remember what I said, he's back to normal, he's not going to hurt you again. You need to relax and stop jostling your hand or you are going to tear out all those stitches."

"I know." The younger one replied. "He just startled me is all. I wasn't prepared to see him looming over me." He held his hand out and Donnie gave him a few painkillers. In a gulp they were gone and he laid down, closing his eyes.

By the time Donnie was on his way over to the table, Mikey had already joined Leo. "That, would be Antonello."

"The turtle Raph brought back." Leo filled in, remembering catching a glimpse of him briefly when they had been down in the swamp.

"Yes. You cut his hand in two Leonardo." Donnie said with a scowl. "I'm not sure it will have much function when it heals.

Leo ran his hands over his face. "I don't know what you are talking about. Please, someone tell me what happened. The last thing I remember is sneaking around the Xanus labs down in Georgia. I don't even know how I got home." He was frustrated, clearly, as he restrained himself from beating a hand on the table.

Donnie's features softened. "You really don't remember?"

"No I don't! Mikey says I wasn't myself, you say I almost amputated this kids hand… and… where is Jack? Is she okay? I didn't really hurt her did I?" He was starting to really get worried.

Donnie sighed. "She's still unconscious. You guys have been out for four days."

Leo jumped to his feet. He looked around the house. "Where is she?" He spied the new addition to the house, the new hallway, and headed towards it. He was stopped when someone grabbed his wrist.

Mikey was holding him in place. "I wouldn't." He suggested. "Raph hasn't left her side."

"They are… close, to say the least. Hurting her, hurt him far more, I think." Donnie told him.

Leo stopped and looked from the hallway back to his brothers. "What? He…" He swallowed hard. Pulling his hand from his younger brother's he frowned. Turning he headed in the other direction. "I'm going to meditate. I need to think." So he disappeared down the hall and into the meditation room.

Donnie leaned back into his chair and let his head fall back. "Oh boy… this is not going to be a good week."

The one in orange just frowned. "Should we tell Raph that Leo is awake?"

"We will tell him the next time he comes out." He rubbed his face. "I just think we need to all sort this out quickly. What ever happened to Leo, it wasn't his fault. Someone did it to him. We need to figure out what he knows, and what is going on here."

"Well you know Raph isn't going to think clearly until he knows Jack is going to be okay."

"Yeah… That's what worries me. I'm not sure she will be." Donnie hung his head. "I should have forced him to take her to the hospital."

Leo was sitting cross legged on the mat in front of the table where the incense was burning. He was taking slow deep breaths in a rhythmic succession as he tried to focus his mind. He needed to think, to remember what had happened. He tried to let the pain in his wrists and ankles just fade into the back ground as he focused on his breathing.

He wasn't sure how long he was in there before he opened his blue eyes. Rising to his feet he left the room. Glancing to his right he spied the training room, inside he caught the glint of steal that was his swords, lying on the floor, tossed there like trash. Stepping inside he grabbed them, hesitating as he lifted them. There was blood staining one of the blades. Slipping the clean blade into its sheath on his back, Leo carried the dirty one to the wash bowl against the wall. He washed it off with a frown before drying it off with a towel and replacing it in its sheath.

Silently, calmly he walked down the hallway passed where his other brothers had been and headed for Jack's bedroom. Pausing outside her door, Leo listened. He could hear Raphael inside talking to someone. His voice was softer than he had ever heard, tender almost.

"Please, just wake up… I can't…"

Leo opened the door and in an instant, the strap across his chest was grabbed and he was pinned against the wall. He held up his hands as Raph glared in his face.

"What are you doing here?" Raph hissed.

Leo looked passed him and pointed at the bandaged woman on the bed. "I came to check on Jack."

His eye narrowed. "Check on her?! You are the one that put her here!" Raph let him go with one more final shove into the wall before he turned around and headed back to the chair at the bedside.

"I never meant to… I don't even remember." Leo tried to explain.

With a shout Raph whipped around and punched Leo square in the face. "I don't care!" There was a tear rolling down his face. "I don't know what to do Leo! She won't wake up, won't move… What if…" He turned to the side and let his fist fly into the wall. Plaster and wood crumbled under the pressure. "I can't bear the thought of losing her. And you!" he pointed at him. "You were so hell bent on killing her… I almost couldn't stop you. My brother, our leader. How could you break my trust like that?"

Seeing the tears on his brother's face hurt Leo. It made him realize just how much he cared for the woman on the other side of the room. The tears hurt him more than the punch he received. But what hurt more was hearing he had lost his brother's trust. His stomach dropped and his own vision faltered for a moment as Raph's words echoed in his head.

It had taken them years to get to the point to accept on another, to listen and follow. Leo had taken so much pride when he received his brother's blessing. Of course they always had spats like all brother's do, but they had forged a bond over the years, something so intense he thought nothing would ever break it yet… he had done just that.

Raph lashed out at the wall again but Leo stepped in the way. "You are going to hurt yourself." He said softly as he let his brother let punch after punch land on him.

It lasted for a long while, until Raph's body was trembling from both fatigue and sobbing. Sinking down to his knees Raph hung his head, sitting at his brother's feet. Leo, now covered in bruises, leaned his aching body down and pulled the heavier body of his brother up.

"Come on, let's get you to bed."

Raph shook his head. "I'm… not leaving… her." He panted between choked sobs.

Nodding his older brother helped him to the chair at the side of the bed. Collapsing into the wooden structure, Raph leaned forward and rested his arms and head on the bed. His knuckles were a little bloody, a mixture of his own and his brother's, but he didn't really notice. Grasping Jacquelyn's hand he rested his head against the sheet and closed his eye as he tried to catch his breath.

Leo watched a moment before he quietly slipped out of the room. Making his way to the kitchen he opened the freezer and found the infamous bag of peas that had been in there forever but never once thought of being used for actual food. Pulling it out he held it against his throbbing chin. Bruises were forming all over the place, his face, arms, chest and torso. He didn't mind though, he deserved it.

"You look like hell."

Leo glanced over at the sofa where a green figure was rubbing at his bright eyes. His gaze averted, it was the young turtle that he had mutilated. "Yeah…" He didn't feel like the mighty leader.

Antonello forced himself up of the couch and drug his feet over to the kitchen. Standing beside Leo he started to rummage through the refrigerator for something to eat.

Leo glanced around a bit awkwardly as the younger turtle stood next to him. "Look, I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it." Ant said as he took a bite of cold pizza. "Donnie explained what happened as best as he could. Said you still need to fill in the blanks but… You weren't really right in the head." He gave Leo a lopsided grin.

He couldn't help but stare at the bandaged arm he was holding across his body. Unusable. It made another knot form in Leo's gut. Swallowing hard Leo blinked and looked away. "So uh… What's your name?"

"Raph dubbed me Antonello. They all started calling me Ant though, Shadow started that trend." He chuckled.

Leo nodded. "So, you… you didn't have a name before?" He paused, looking at him again.

Ant straightened, a piece of pizza hanging from his mouth. Swallow some he shook his head. "Well I don't remember anything. So I guess I'm like you in that sense." He locked eyes with him for a moment.

Breaking his gaze, Leo looked down at the scar on his chest. "Yeah… I just, wish My memory lapse didn't include attacking two innocent people."

"You must have scared the crap out of Jack."

Leo looked up at him, a bit ashamed of what the turtle was saying. The younger one didn't seem to notice.

"Raph has been training us to fight. She either completely froze, or you are just that good you thrashed her." He paused before taking another bite. "I guess there's always the possibility that Raph was always going easy on her…" He shrugged and took his bite.

Leo shook his head. "I don't think he'd go easy on her… But then again…" He thought about how Raph had been acting in Jack's room. There was no way he'd risk really hurting her during training. He had to have gone easy on her. If she really wanted to improve, she'd need a different teacher to spar against. Of course Raph would teach her proper technique but he'd never actually hit her. But all of that could wait, first she just had to wake up and be okay. "I need to talk to Don." He said suddenly.

Shrugging, Ant followed, curious as to what was going to take place. Besides, he could use some more pain killers. Leo knocked on his brother's door and a few short moments later it opened up revealing Donatello's spacious lab. He let them in without a word and went back to his desk to continue his analysis on the object he had plucked from Leonardo's neck.

"To what do I owe this intrusion?" Donnie asked as he continued to examine the object.

"We need to discuss what I found out. And what you have." Leo glanced at the kid and then to his brother.

Donnie caught the glance. "He's fine. He is one of us… You'd know that if you came home sooner."

Leo's eye brow twitched. "I was trying to protect our family." He said through gritted teeth before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. How had everyone else seemed to get along so well without him while he was still on edge with his whole family? What had these two strangers done while he was gone?

"I haven't figured out much about this thing." Donnie admitted as he leaned back in his chair. He looked over at Ant as the kid picked at his bandages. "Stop it… You're worse than Mikey…" He mumbled. Rolling his chair over to a different counter he grabbed a bottle of pain killers and tossed them to the younger turtle. "How's the hand feeling?"

The turtle pinned the bottle between his bicep and his side so his good hand could twist the top off. "It's not… beside pain if that's what you meant." He frowned. "I can't really feel much of anything in it." He tilted the bottle awkwardly and spilled half the bottle's contents onto his hand and floor. "Shit." After shoving a few pills in his mouth he knelt down to pick up the scattered white objects.

Leo dropped to a knee to help.

"So what did you find out?" Donnie asked as he turned and wrote down some notes only he would understand.

"Well, Xanus is moving their headquarters up here." Leo started. "Most of their facilities were empty by the time I figured out how to get into them."

"Obviously not all of them or else this wouldn't have gotten slapped on to you." Donnie smirked.

Leo grumbled under his breath. "The Purple Dragons are back."

Donnie froze. "What?"

"I saw someone there with a dragon tattoo. They were talking about the gang, and distributing… something up here. Something that Xanus had been making." Leo ran a hand over his face. "I also saw some weird looking ninja… Foot maybe. It's like the Purple Dragons are a recruiting center for the Foot. They are just going to come up here and claim all of the kids that try and join the gang… I didn't hear anything else. Something hit me in the back of the head. I blacked out and woke up here."

"Yeah this hit you." Donnie slid a petrie dish over with a disassembled unit.

"No kidding." Leo rubbed the mark on the back of his neck. "The question is… why not just kill me on sight? Why send me on some wild goose chase?" He held his brother's stare for a long moment as if he might be able to answer the question but Donatello said nothing. A voice from behind him caught him off guard.

"Perhaps they wanted you to take care of something for them. Something they couldn't find?" Ant was leaning against the wall, yawning, struggling to stay awake, the high dose of painkillers kicking in.

Donatello got to his feet. "You need to get to bed." He ushered the youngster out of his room and watched his stagger towards his own. Ant only made it half way before diverting to the couch and plopping down on it once more and falling asleep. Turning back to Leo, Donnie shut the door. "What if Ant is right?"

"What?"

"What if whoever put this on you wanted you to do something they couldn't…"

Leo frowned. "Like what?"

His green eyes flicked up to meet the blue of his brother's. "What were you trying to do?" the rhetorical question didn't wait for an answer. "You were going for Jack."

"You are saying someone _wanted_ me to kill her." Leo scratched his head. "But why? She is just a human, she doesn't know anything…"

"Not that we know of." Donnie looked at him.


End file.
